The Irony of Life
by DreamsDontDie
Summary: Dramione. Starts 6th year at Hogwarts. What happens when Hermione's life is turned upside down and even those closest to her seemed to turn their back on her? What happens when she spills her secret to Draco? What path will she choose? Rated M for a reason!
1. Chapter 1 - As Normal Cracks

**Disclaimer: **Obviously I do not own the Harry Potter Universe or any of the Characters, just manipulating them for our enjoyment.

Chapter 1 – As Normal Cracks

_(Tuesday July 30, 1996)_

Rain pounded loudly against the glass of the window, leading to a small bedroom. A twin size bed was pushed up against the far wall across from the door. There was a closet past the foot of the bed and a small dresser was across the room next to the door. It was quaint and simple. The room was dark, lit only by the glow of street lights from outside.

A girl lay asleep on the bed. Her petite frame fit perfectly on the small twin bed. There was a left open on her chest moving rhythmically with her slow deep breaths. Her soft, curly brown locks flowed naturally around her face in her sleep. Her face as petite as her frame had a soft natural beauty to it. There was a small smile on her face as she dreamed peacefully. She was fit snuggly under the covers on the bed. Although it was a hot, humid summer night outside, her bedroom was kept cool with the ceiling fan constantly on. A fluffy cat was sleeping peacefully curled up by her feet. Neither of them seemed to have a care in the world this summer.

The cat was awoken from its slumber by a tapping on the window pane. Immediately, he arose to investigate the sound and noticed the white owl outside the window. He began to playfully pawing at the glass, meowing its hello to an old friend. The girl stirred with the sound and knocked her book closed to the floor. She rose up out of bed and let the beautiful white owl in her bedroom. The very wet and unhappy owl flew in and landed on top of a pile of books on her dresser, dripping water everywhere.

The girl closed the window behind the owl and pulled out some owl treats from one of the top drawers of her dresser. The owl happily ate one of the treats while she smiled and pet the top of its wet head. Then she went down its leg and untied the letter he had for her. She already knew who it was from.

_Hermione,_

_How has your summer been treating you? Luckily, I've been at the Burrow with Ron all summer. We've been practicing Quidditch a lot, so we are prepared to kick some Slytherin arse this year. Ron and Ginny send their hellos. Fred and George have been driving Mrs. Weasley crazy. There hasn't been a day yet that she hasn't had to get on to them for some new prank they've come up. We all miss you. You should come visit the Burrow before we go back to school. And please don't tell me you've been studying. It's summer, so try taking a break from studying for once. Have fun._

_Harry_

Hermione smiled to herself, her friends know her too well. She had fallen asleep while studying and it was still the first month of summer. They have been best friends since first year and were about to start their sixth year soon. She wasn't sure if she was going to make to the Burrow this year or not. For once she didn't have her summer planned out. She was letting her parents make the most of it, she controlled too many of their vacations already. She pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill to write Harry back.

_Harry_

_My summer has been relaxing. I happen to find studying to be quite relaxing, thank you. I'm not sure what my summer plans are going to be yet. I haven't planned a single thing, leaving it up to my parents for once. Mum did say we were going to have a busy summer this year, even though so far all I've done is read at home. I don't know what that entails, but I just want to spend a good summer with parents this year. I'll still write you though, I promise. If it's up to me though, I'll definitely be at the Burrow sometime this summer. Keep practicing Quidditch. We don't want to let those greasy Slytherins to beat us again. Tell Ginny and Ron I say hello as well. I miss you all._

_Hermione_

She tied the letter to the owl's leg and gave him another owl treat for being patient with her. She opened the window for him again, and he flew back out into the rain towards the Burrow. She quickly closed the window behind to avoid letting too much rain into her bedroom. She stooped down to pick up her book that had fallen, and made her way back towards the dresser. She could never read enough. She sighed as she laid it on her dresser among the many other books and hopped back in bed. She glanced over at the clock to see that it was four in the morning before she drifted back off into dreamland.

* * *

Miles away, another window was being attacked by the same rain. It led to a large bedroom. It was dark in decoration and had a large king size bed in the middle. There was a connecting bathroom equally as large, and a very beautifully engraved dresser. Both sides of the bed had matching engraved night stands, and a bookshelf filled with books along another wall. There was a desk on one side of the room and a walk-in closet on the other side. The room was lit by lights, but there was still a feeling of darkness.

A boy sat at the desk reading a thick leather book. He had slick silver blonde hair hanging slightly in front of his face. His stormy grey eyes were scanning the contents of the book on his desk. He seemed to be enjoying himself in the quiet atmosphere of his bedroom. He sighed as he realized what time it was, it was already one in the morning. He closed his book and pushed it up against the wall.

As he was standing up about to go to bed, he heard the familiar tapping on his window. He let another long sigh, wishing he could get an uninterrupted night once in a while. He walked over and let the strong black hawk in from the pouring rain. It flew over to his desk and waited patiently, head held high. The tall boy walked over to the hawk and went to get the letter for its leg only to be bitten. He let out another exasperated sigh as he read for a treat for him. After he had eaten his fair share of treats, four of them to be exact, he allowed the boy to get the letter from his leg.

_Draco,_

_I'm sure you've been made aware that this year will be the year you are tested the most. We'll have to make sure that you are ready by this time next year. You will be called to a meeting in the next week that will fill you in on some more information you might be able to assist us with. I will be contacting you again shortly. Do not get too comfortable in that Manor by yourself. We will be returning._

_Lucius_

Draco put the letter down on top of the many others he had received this summer. His parents had been gone the entire time so far, leaving him with the Manor to himself. He didn't mind, but it seemed like every time he was about to lie down and relax, he would get another letter. He debated writing his father a letter back. It seemed so pointless; it was obvious what he would say. But he knew if he didn't write back, it would be disrespectful, so he pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill.

_Father,_

_I am well aware of what this year holds in store for me. We've discussed this before, I am more than ready. You also know that I'm more than willing to help in any matter I can for the Dark Lord. Whatever this meeting is about, I will help. I rather enjoy the Manor by myself. It's peaceful and quiet. I look forward to speaking about this further._

_Draco_

Another sigh left his lips as he read over his letter. They were always so cut and dry. He didn't have any real emotion towards his father; emotions are a weakness after all. Draco was far from weak. He gave the hawk his reply and sent it on his way back. Draco closed the window behind the hawk and retreated to his bed. He was more than a little curious about this meeting. It was about time he was allowed to attend one; he was tired of always being left out. He was ready to prove himself to them, and next year he would be able to join them.

* * *

_(Wednesday July 31, 1996)_

Hermione awoke the next morning to the sound of an argument. Her parents never fought. She quickly rolled out of bed and snuck quietly out into the hallway where she could hear their voices clearly.

"We have to tell her," her dad's voiced carried from their bedroom door.

"No, we don't have to do anything. We don't know everything, and I will not put her in danger," her mother retaliated.

"She has a right to know, though"

"It doesn't matter, we can't risk it. Now stop arguing with me about this, we already have a plan," her mother finished the conversation.

Hermione quickly went back in her room to change. What were they talking about; they never kept any secrets from her. Her parents taught her that honesty was the foundation of any relationship. They obviously couldn't have been talking about her. They wouldn't hide anything from her.

A knock on her door startled her from her thoughts. "Hermione, hunny?" It was her father.

She opened the door. "Morning, Dad," she greeted him with a hug.

"I have to leave for a business trip today. I should only been gone a couple of days," he told her gently returning her hug.

She frowned, her parents never had business trips; they were dentists. "Where are you going?" she asked trying to sound curious and not suspicious.

"It's not far, don't worry. I'll be back in a couple of days," he avoided her question.

"Are you leaving now?" she frowned deeper.

"Yes. I love you, hunny. I'll see you a couple of days" he hugged her again and kissed the top her head before turning and leaving.

Now Hermione was more confused. They obviously had a secret they were keeping. It could be about her or it could be about someone else for all she knew. Nevertheless, her parents were acting very strange this summer.

She met her mother downstairs for breakfast a short time later. She had made pancakes and eggs with a glass of orange juice. Hermione sat at the seat across from her, watched her over her plate. "Why did Dad have to go on a business trip? I mean since when do dentists have business trips?" Hermione asked quietly.

"It's more like a convention for a new kind of procedure," her mother readily replied, but didn't meet Hermione's eyes; she knew she was lying.

She sighed and took another bite of her food. She decided she should just push it away for the time being and enjoy the time she had with her parents. She was growing up too fast as it was. "Well then, what do you have planned for us while he's away? Girls day out?" she forced smile across her face.

"That sounds good dear, but I actually have some things I have to take care of down at the office today. Maybe tomorrow," she replied, still barely looking at Hermione.

"On a Saturday? The office isn't even open today."

"Exactly. It's just some paperwork that I've neglected and it's easier to do when no one is there to bother me."

"Well, guess I've got another day with my books," she finished as she went back to her food. She couldn't shake the feeling that her parents were actually trying to avoid her. She's been home for almost a month, and she hasn't really seen them at all.

Later that day, Hermione found herself with the house to herself again. She couldn't stop her curiosity about why her parents didn't want to spend time with her this summer. Well, if they had a secret from her, she was sure as hell going to find out what it was. There was one room in the house that she was never allowed in, her parent's office.

It was the furthest door in the hallway from hers, on the other side of her parent's bedroom. It was locked, but of course a wand can always fix that. She unlocked the door quickly, and stepped into the small office. It was littered with files, paperwork, and books. Hermione started to go through the papers on the desk, not exactly sure what she was looking for. They were mostly copies of clients' files from the office, and many pictures of teeth. The drawers on the desk were filled with their personal documents. She couldn't find anything suspicious or anything even with her name on it.

Hermione was about to give up on her search, when she noticed a small box tucked away between desk and the far wall of the room. It was locked as well, making her more curious by what could be hidden in there. With a quick wave of her wand, the lock clicked. After slowly opening the box, she was left staring at a single picture on the top of the stack of papers and letters it contained. It wasn't a muggle picture which would have been the most surprising part, but it was the fact that she was staring into her own golden brown eyes. The baby was staring back at her while gripping tightly to another woman with long wavy brown hair and matching eyes. There was a tall man with short dark hair and deep brown eyes standing next to them, smiling lovingly at the baby while playing with her soft hair.

Her mind went numb; all thoughts retreated to her subconscious. She slowly picked up the picture and continued to stare silently at herself as a baby.

* * *

_(Monday August 5, 1996)_

Draco was sitting at the smaller table, still able to comfortably sit eight people, eating his breakfast the house elves served him. It had been almost a week and he stilled hadn't heard any more information about the meeting he was supposed to attend. This solitude was starting to get on his nerves, as were the at least two letters a day he had been receiving from Pansy. Why had he let himself get sucked into a relationship with her again?

He groaned as he noticed a pile of letters by the door, pushing away his finished plate. Many of them were for his father and a few for his mother. He discarded the newest letter from Pansy, before pulling out the other two that were addressed to him. One was from Hogwarts notifying him that he would be a Perfect for the following school. He smirked realizing how easy it was going to be to get away with what he wanted to do. The second was from his father regarding the meeting, finally.

_Draco,_

_The Dark Lord does not feel that you should be involved in the meeting discussing the manor of the mission. We will be holding the meeting later today and I will owl you with the details after. It is a touchy subject and you are not to mention this to anyone. I expect you to be waiting for the owl tonight and for a hasty reply._

_Lucius_

Draco squashed the letter his fist. He was always left out of meetings even when they were discussing matters that involved him. If they were expecting him to help them with some mission, he should at least be present at the meeting discussing the mission. He had planned to go out and meet Blaise at Diagon Alley, but he knew he had to stay home and wait for his father's next letter.

He spent the day idly reading on a couch downstairs. He had the house elves bring him snacks occasionally, but mostly enjoyed his books on the dark arts. The family library was filled with every book there was on the dark arts and he had read through them multiple times already. It was relaxing to strengthen his knowledge on the subject though. He had already read through his books for his sixth year at Hogwarts and assumed he'd have an easy year.

Finally, after eating dinner, Draco heard a loud pop from someone apperating into the Manor in the next room. He was surprised that someone had come to visit him as he was expecting an owl. He got up from the couch and walked to the next room and was further surprised when he found his father sitting in a chair across from him.

"Father," Draco acknowledged with a nod of his head as he walked to a chair across from his father. "I was expecting your hawk to bring me your response." He sat on the chair and waited for his father to inform him on what happened at the meeting.

"The information should not be sent by owls. We do not want others to know what we have planned," Lucius started. "You are aware of the Blaizkin's, correct?" Lucius waited until his son had nodded in agreement before he went on. "Well, Greg Blaizkin was sent to Azkaban earlier this year for his involvement with our Dark Lord. His wife, Maria, has stayed close to our case and continues to work faithfully for Him."

Lucius watched his on soak in the information. Draco was confused as to why he was being told information that was obvious to anyone who had access to the Daily Prophet. There should be fear in sharing this through an owl. He nodded his head again and waited for his father to continue.

"Before they pledged their allegiance to our Dark Lord, they had a child. Someone managed to coerce Maria into giving the child away to another family to keep them from our Dark Lord. Now He wants this child in his ranks. He has found quite a bit of interesting information on this child, at it appears that it is the missing link to our victory," Lucius paused to allow his son to comprehend the gravity of the information he was sharing.

"I see. What does our Dark Lord need my assistance with?" Draco asked more intrigued than he thought he would become.

"As I stated, our Dark Lord has gathered information on the child, but we need help finding her," Lucius continued. Draco was shocked to him say 'her'.

"It seems that Maria had her memory wiped from who she had given her child to. We do know that it is a girl, and that she is your age. She should be an extremely powerful witch for her time. We believe that she is attending Hogwarts. Based on her family history, she will most likely be a Slytherin, but we do not know how she was raised. We need you to find her. She will have no information on who she really is, and may not even know that she was adopted. And you cannot assume anything about her. She may not have been raised the way she should have been, and may be extremely difficult to find," Lucius finished. He watched his son while the wheels were turning in his head. Draco was shocked to say the least.

"So I need to find her once I'm back at Hogwarts," Draco stated more than asked. His father just nodded at him. "How will I know who she his once I find her?" Draco asked wondering how he would be able to pull this off.

"This is your mission, and you will need to trust your judgment. Once you think you've found her, let us know and we will tell you what to do from there. We will get her to join our ranks for our Dark Lord and she should be the difference between a loss and a victory." Lucius had stood up by now, preparing to leave. "They are waiting for my return. I must leave you now. And don't forget, our Dark Lord does not accept failure." With that Lucius apparated out of the Manor once more.

Draco was left stunned and curious. Once he returned to Hogwarts he would have to search for a sixth year student, who was an extremely powerful witch and as the missing link to the Dark Lord. He was determined to make his Dark Lord proud, and would find the missing pureblood witch if it was the last thing he did.

* * *

**A/N: **This is my first FanFic so please don't be too harsh. Obviously this is AU and doesn't really follow the plot line in the books to the tee. The characters may be OCC, but I will try my best to keep them as close to canon as I can. I've been obsessing with this idea for a while now and I finally have to time to get it written. Please let me know what you think and I will do my best to update weekly.


	2. Chapter 2 - As All Shatters

**Disclaimer: **Obviously I do not own the Harry Potter Universe or any of the Characters, just manipulating them for our enjoyment.

Chapter 2 – As All Shatters

_(Saturday August 17, 1996)_

Hermione was reclining on the couch reading her History of Magic textbook for the next year for the second time. Her father still had not come back from his 'business trip', and though her mom did spend a girls' day out with her, Hermione still found herself alone most days. The text on the page was getting harder to follow as her mind starting to whirl once again.

_There is no use trying to deny the obvious, Hermione. Your parents have been lying to you your entire life. They let you grow up away from the world you belonged to. They even pretended to be surprised to find out that you were a witch. Your whole life has been a sick game to them. Can you even still call them your parents?_

_Of course I can! They have been there for me while I grew up, and have always loved me. Whoever those people are in that picture, they aren't my parents. They didn't love me if they gave me away. They abandoned me and made no effort to be a part of my life. Hell, that might not even be me in the picture. Maybe I was wrong. This is a mistake; my parents would never lie to me about something so important._

_Denial, denial, denial. The sooner you accept the truth, the better. Why should you waste your time pretending for them? They haven't even made an effort to spend time with you this break. Your so call dad left town after a month of avoiding you. Now you haven't even received a phone call or a letter from him in over two weeks. Didn't he say he was only going to be gone for a couple of days? Well I guess that's just another lie you can add to the list. And do you really believe that your mom has had to do paperwork at the office every Saturday this summer? That's probably another lie._

_NO! They wouldn't lie to me. They love me and are probably just trying to protect me from something. They are hiding something, but it can't be this. I've just jumped to the wrong conclusion, that's all. They just need to do more research before sharing it with me. Then I will laugh at the ridiculous accusations I had in my mind. They are my parents and they love me!_

"Hermione, dear, are you hungry?" Hermione was startled from her thoughts and dropped her book as her mom walked through the front door.

She looked around the room to get her senses back before looking up at her mother and forcing a smile. "Sorry, mum. I was caught up in my book; you know how it is."

"Well I brought home dinner. I thought you might enjoy some Italian." She lifted up a small bag from the Italian restaurant down the street from her office. "Come sit with me."

Hermione followed her mother to the table and let her serve her some pasta on a plate before sitting down. She felt her face fall as she looked closely at her mother. Her eyes were much darker than Hermione's and her hair much too straight. She didn't have her nose or mouth, or even her shape of eyes. No matter how hard she searched, she couldn't find a single part of her mother that looked like her.

She poked her pasta with the fork, barely taking a bite, as her mind wandered back to the picture she had found. The woman in the picture looked so much like her. She had the same eyes, the same nose and even though her hair was beautiful and tame, it still had enough curls to resemble Hermione's. It was harder to deny the truth when it was staring straight back at you every night. Tears started to threaten her eyes as she looked at the women sitting with her again.

"Hunny, what's wrong? You've barely eaten," her mother asked concern clear in her eyes.

"I'm fine, just miss dad. I thought he was only going to be gone a couple of days," she shook the tears away from her eyes.

"Don't worry. He's coming home late tonight," her mother smiled reassuringly. "The conference lasted longer than anticipated and then he ran into some old friends."

_Again with the lies_, Hermione thought sadly. She quickly forced a smile across her face. "That's great. What time is getting in?"

"Not until after midnight. You'll see you him tomorrow though."

Hermione nodded, not letting her forced smile fall. She helped her mother clear the table before excusing herself for bed, saying she wanted to sleep early so that tomorrow would come sooner.

Once in her room, she locked the door and checked her room for any letters she might have gotten. She had only received the one from Harry the whole summer. She tried not to, but couldn't help feeling abandoned by her friends as well. _They are just busy having a good time together and practicing Quidditch for this season. They are not trying to leave you out. Do not take this personally._ She reassured herself quickly dismissing the thought. She could not allow herself to doubt her friends as well as her parents. She decided to go back to reading, hoping to fall asleep early.

Hermione was in bed reading her History of Magic text-book, trying her hardest not to let her mind wander again. She couldn't help it as the doubts surfaced again. After double checking that her door was locked, she pulled out the picture from her hiding spot in her trunk and stared at herself once again. It was unnerving how familiar the couple in the picture felt to her. They were so captivated by the baby in the woman's arm, and she could see the love in their eyes. They looked so content, like they were the prefect little family. Sure looks can be deceiving, but if they truly loved her so much, why did they give her away?

Tears started to roll silently down her cheeks as she finally started to feel the loss of her biological parents. The truth hurts, but not as much as the lies. The betrayal from those whom she thought were her parents stung more than facing the fact that her real parents abandoned her. Any way that she looked at it, she couldn't find herself able to accept the lies they had fed her. The played her so well, never had she expected that she didn't belong with them. Her image of the Grangers was shattered beyond recognition. More tears started to fall as her life started to crash around her.

She was broken from her trance by the sound of raised voices down the hall. The Grangers were arguing again. After glancing at the clock to see it was almost one in the morning, she wiped her tears away and quietly snuck out into the hallway to listen.

"I'm trying to tell you that you were right," Mr. Granger shouted frustrated.

"I knew that, but you didn't have to spend over two weeks to figure that out. Do you realize how suspicious Hermione got while you were gone?" Mrs. Granger retaliated.

"I had to be sure. I hate lying to her, but I understand now that the truth would kill her."

"There is no need to tell her truth now." Their voices quieted now that they were on the same page.

Hermione walked closer to their door until she was standing directly outside and pushed her ear against the door. She had to hear them say it; it had to be confirmed.

"We are her parents. We are the ones who love her and have cared for her over the years. We watched her grow up and learn from her mistakes. We picked her up when she fell down. In her eyes we will always be her parents. And we are the only ones she needs," Mrs. Granger stated reassuring her husband and herself that they were making the right the decision.

"She's going to hate us when she finds out we've been lying to her all these years. We've always preached honesty being the strongest foundation for a relationship. All these lies and secrets are going to crush her eventually. But it is a risk we have to take."

"It's the only way to protect her. We made a promise to protect her and keep her safe. And even without the promise we made, that is still the most important thing. We keep her safe and protected no matter what."

"She's going to realize the truth eventually. She's so smart. I just hope it takes her long enough. When she finds out that she is adopted, we won't be able to protect her anymore," his words stabbed her straight in the heart.

That's what she was waiting for. It was confirmed, these people weren't her parents. They had been lying to her forever, but it was over now. The tears were held back as her fury overwhelmed her. The world spun and flipped around, everything seemed to be out-of-place. Nothing belonged, not even her. She slammed open their door and glared daggers at their shocked faces.

"Hermione, hunny, let us –" Mr. Granger was cut off.

"Don't you dare 'Hermione, hunny' me! And you don't get to explain anything. For all I know you will just feed me more of your sick lies!" She screamed at the man she once called her father. "I wanted to spend my entire summer with guys, but no! You two had to avoid me all summer! I've been here for over 6 weeks and we haven't done a single thing together as family. Oh wait! That's right, maybe it's because we aren't a family!" She let the anger fuel the hatred behind her words.

"We will always be your family, sweetheart," Mrs. Granger tried to calm her down, her voice shaking and tears threatening her eyes.

"No you won't. You never have been and you never will. Families don't lie to each other, for any reason. Isn't that what you taught me? The strongest foundation for any relationship is honesty. What a great couple of hypocrites you two turned out to be. I guess I'm lucky I'm not really related to you two after all. I wouldn't want to inherit that," She was enraged and wanted to hurt them as much as they had hurt her. It was working. Mrs. Granger started to cry and grabbed her husband for support as her body shook.

"It was for your own good not to tell you," Mr. Granger tried again holding back his own emotions.

Hermione laughed menacingly at his statement. "My own good? How the hell is this for my own good? Do you know what this does to me? How everything that I've grown up believing is shattered! Hell, I don't even know who I am right now! You let me grow up being degraded for being muggle-born when that's not even true!" Her fury rose further causing her magic to start crackling around her. The Grangers just stared at her wide eyed in fear and sadness.

"Please calm down and listen to us, hunny," Mr. Granger spoke softly while his wife sobbed on his shoulder.

"NO! I have had enough of your lies and betrayal to last me a lifetime. This is it, I'm done and I'm moving on. Believe me, I will not make the mistake of giving you two my trust again!" She shook her head them at them again, looking at them disgusted, before leaving the room and slamming the door behind her.

Hermione barely noticed the sound of their sobs as she stormed her way back to her room to start packing all of her things. She expected herself to cry, but it never came; she was still too furious at the situation. She managed to stuff every last piece of clothing and each and every book she owned into her trunk. She packed the rest of her personal belongings in a separate suitcase she charmed to carry more than it appeared to. After double checking she had everything she would ever want out of the room, she grabbed the bag and levitated the trunk and made her way down the stairs to their living room. The fireplace was connected to the Floo network, and she stepped in without giving it a second thought and emerged at the Burrow in an empty living room.

* * *

_(Wednesday August 21, 1996)_

Draco was sitting at his desk in his room pouring over numerous books about pureblood heritage. He had spent the past couple of weeks searching for a practical connection between the Blaizkin's family and another wizarding family. Their family history went quite far back, but none of the family ties seemed promising. None of their close friends had any children close enough to his age to be the witch he was searching for. Their only known friends were other well-known pureblood families and most, if not all, were also connected to Lord Voldemort.

_Why is this witch so important to Voldemort, anyways? And if she is that important to him, why would his followers give her away? Perhaps they were trying to keep her away from Voldemort. But they have been faithful to him for so long, why would they disobey him? There's obviously more information that I have not been given. How the hell do they expect me to succeed if they leave out such important details!_

Draco threw the books off his desk in frustration. "This is ridiculous!" he yelled frustrated.

"Hey, what's got up your knickers mate?" a voice chuckled behind him.

Draco turned at glared at his best friend. "Nothing to worry about, Blaise."

"If you say so," Blaise shrugged and took a seat next to Draco. "So what have you been up to? Pansy won't stop asking me a thousand questions about why you are avoiding her."

"Nothing that concerns you. Just researching for a personal project of mine," Draco relaxed and waved his wand to return the books that were strewn across the floor to their rightful place.

"That sounds like it could be interesting. Sure you don't want to share?" Blaise ask raising a quizzical eyebrow at him.

"No, I do not want to share," he sneered back.

"Well what about what's going on with Pansy? I can't stand the inquisition every time I see her," Blaise changed the topic, knowing to back off about his previous question.

"Obviously I'm having second thoughts about it. I mean don't get me wrong, she's a good shag, but then she has to open her mouth and ruin it by talking," Draco replied smirking.

"She does tend to do that," Blaise agreed. "But why don't you just break up with her? You know she'll still let you shag her even without being in a relationship. She's quite easy."

"Did you come over just to berate me about Pansy?" Draco was losing his patience; he didn't have much after weeks of no progress on his mission.

"Of course not, I just want her off my back, mate," He replied, waving his hand dismissively.

"Then why are you here?" Draco asked shortly.

"Can't I just come hang out with my best mate?" Draco eyed him suspiciously. "Fine, your mother wanted me give you this." He pulled a small package out of his robes and set it on the desk for him.

"When did you get this?" Draco stared at the package in bewilderment.

"It came last night. I know you don't get to talk to her often, but –"

"My father has his reasons," Draco quickly cut him off, not wanting to speak about why he hasn't spoken to his mother in over two years.

"Well, are you going to open it?"

"Don't be nosy, Blaise," his eyes hadn't left the package. "Don't have someone else you can go bother?"

"Okay, I get it when I'm not wanted," he got up and started to leave. "See you later, mate"

Draco didn't respond, his eyes still glued to the package from his mother. He hadn't seen his mother in over two years, and this was the first package she had been able to send him in all that time. He wondered how she managed to get it pass his father to Blaise. He slowly untied the rope around the package. The paper fell apart and revealed an elegant chain and a short letter.

_Draco, my dear son,_

_It has been far too long since I have been able to get a message to you. Please don't worry about me. You know your father does love me in his own way, and this situation is for the safety of all of us. I have heard about your mission and I give you this necklace to help you. Please wear it, at all times. It is for your protection and will keep you safe in the times to come. I wish I could tell you more, but now is that the time. I miss you dearly, and eventually I will see you again._

_Love always,_

_Narcissa_

Draco set the letter down and turned his attention to the chain that was enclosed. It was an elegant platinum chain with a large emerald encircled by a silver snake hanging at the center. He quickly put it on, and held the charm gingerly in one hand for a moment before placing it under his shirt. There was no reason he need protection when he was only trying to find a witch at school, but he would wear it anyways as it was his only connection to his mother.

* * *

_(Tuesday August 27, 1996)_

When Hermione had arrived at the Burrow ten day ago, she didn't even have to come up with an excuse for her unexpected arrival. Everyone had just been too happy to see her there to even question why she had left her parents. And though she still hadn't come to terms with the upheaval of her life, she found it much easier to pretend everything was fine with the distraction from the busy household. She had her best friends to keep her mind from wandering too far and spent the waking hours of the days with them in ignorance bliss. It was only the nights she had to fear, and the constant reminder she kept her pocket at all times.

Hermione had thought about telling them what she had found out numerous times, but was never able to bring it up. She didn't know the answers to her own questions, and she knew the second she told them, she'd be berated by more than a dozen of their own questions. If there was one thing Hermione hated, it was not having answers. It was even worse when they were questions about herself that she didn't have the answers for. It was unsettling having answers for everything except the ones that truly mattered at the moment. She was counting down the days until they would go back to Hogwarts. Then she would have access to the library which was bound to supply the answers she needed so desperately. Unit then it was this dangerous game of pretend.

It was early morning still, and she was seated on the couch with a groggy Ginny discussing what they would wear the first day of school. Normally she wouldn't worry about such an unnecessary topic, but it was the distraction she had needed that morning. "I was thinking about the pleated black skirt and my silk blue shirt," Ginny continued, sleep still evident in voice. "You don't think the skirt's too short, do you?"

"No, it still reaches your knees. Your mum wouldn't let you walk out of the house if was too short, anyways," Hermione reasoned still void of emotion.

Ginny giggled. "You're right. Mum would have thrown it out when she saw it if it was. What were you thinking about wearing?"

"I don't know. Probably just a pair of jeans and my red shirt," Hermione told her trying to stay interested.

"That's no fun. You've grown up this summer, you at least need to show off some of what your momma gave you," Ginny giggled again. Luckily she missed Hermione's face falter at her words. "Don't worry, I'll help you pick it out, and you'll turn heads."

Hermione forced the smile back on her face. "Thanks, Ginny. You know I'm no good at this fashion nonsense."

"Mione," Ron poked his head out from the stairs and called her. "We need to talk to you."

"Okay, I'll be right up, Ron," Hermione replied before returning to Ginny. "Why don't you come up with some ideas for me, and when I get back we can try them on?"

Ginny seemed thrilled. "Okay, I'll come up with the best outfits ever for us!" She seemed to forget the early hour as she hopped up the stairs to her room.

Hermione made her way up to the third floor and to the room Harry and Ron shared over the breaks, pausing for a moment outside the door to make sure her façade was in place before opening the door. Harry and Ron were sitting on their beds with a deep look of concentration on their faces. "What's going on guys," Hermione made her presence known.

Harry turned to meet her gaze, "Something's up with Voldemort." She flinched hearing the name she'd been praying wouldn't be brought up yet. "The Order hasn't heard anything from him all summer. He's been too quiet to not be planning something," he finished.

"Well what do you think he's up to?" Hermione asked not having to fake her interest in this topic, even though it filled her heart with dread.

"I'm not sure, but it has to be something big. There hasn't been a single attack in almost two months. It just isn't like him. It's like he's holding his forces back while waiting for something," Harry replied softly.

"You think he's waiting for school to start?" Ron asked. He always threw any idea forward before thinking about it himself.

"That doesn't make sense. He wants Harry and Hogwarts is far to protected for him to get to Harry there," Hermione reasoned. "Have you seen anything recently, Harry?"

"No. That's the other part that's disturbing me. It has been way too quiet."

"Well, while there is reason to worry about him being too quiet, there is nothing that we can do without any information," she stated.

"We should at least put time aside these next few days to practice our defense tactics," Harry said solemnly. "We are sure to be rusty already, and we have to be prepared for anything. We shouldn't have taken a break."

"Mione needed to spend time with her parents. There's no telling what's going to happen this year, we needed to take a break," Ron defended. It had been Hermione's idea to go their separate ways over the summer and have a normal break, which she now regretted.

"It's okay, Ron. It was a mistake. We will just have to make up for our lost time," Hermione was quickly void of emotion again, hiding her pain. They had all been playing a game of pretend this summer. It was the last chance of normalcy before Voldemort disrupted their lives again. It had been sweet, but oh so deceiving. "We can start this afternoon, brush off our rust before we get back to reality," she finished. Ron and Harry nodded their heads in agreement before Hermione left to return to her distraction with Ginny.

* * *

_(Saturday August 31, 1996)_

The past ten days had dragged by to Draco, who spent his time re-reading every bit of information he could find on the Blaizkins. He was still not much closer to an answer of whom it was that he was looking for. He had found a few pictures of the couple and had come to conclusion that she must have brown hair and brown eyes like both of her parents did, but that hadn't exactly narrowed down his search much. He could easily think of a hundred witches who passed that test. The other conclusion he had come to was that she was not a Slytherin. If she was given away to be kept from the Dark Lord, she would have been given to a family who did not associate with him. So she was not raised with their beliefs and was probably with a lower class wizarding family. Also, there was no chance she would have been given to a muggle family. There was no way they would have their child grow up thinking they were a mudblood. That would just be cruel.

It was starting to get dark outside and Draco was finishing packing his things for the school year. He carefully tucked the few photos of the Blaizkins he had in a small pocket of the trunk. At the very least they would serve as a reference point. When he was satisfied that his task was complete, he shut the lid to his trunk and started to make his way downstairs to enjoy his last dinner at the Manor.

The familiar sound of apperating stopped him in his tracks, and he turned to join his father in his office. "Father," Draco greeted as he took his place in a chair opposite of him.

"Draco, I wanted to discuss your plans with you before you leave," his father stated coolly. His pale blue eyes void of interest. "What are your ideas?"

"I have come to a few conclusions from my research. The first is she is not a Slytherin, as the Blaizkins would not have given her to a family that was associated with our Dark Lord and as you stated, was not raised with our beliefs. The second is that she is with a lower class wizarding family. No one would have their child grow up as a mudblood in this time. I have also found a few pictures of the couple for comparative purposes," Draco shared his thoughts dryly.

"And where do you plan to start?"

"If she is as bright of a witch as you have suggested, then I will start with Ravenclaw."

"Don't get short with me. I just need to ensure that you do not fail. You must uphold the standards of this family," Lucius replied curtly, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You need to use your position as a Perfect to your advantage; learn what you can from the other students. As soon as you know who she is, owl me immediately and we will move on the next step of the mission."

"Yes, sir," Draco said calmly.

Lucius stood up and prepared to leave again, "Don't let us down." And with a loud pop, he was gone again, leaving Draco with his thoughts.

_Why are they still leaving me in the dark? They have to know more information on her and what makes her so damn special. And now there are steps to this mission! I thought I just had to find the bloody witch. That alone is going to prove difficult, but now I don't even know what I'm going to have to do once I do finally find her. They know I will perform any task they ask of me for our Dark Lord, but they don't even have the decency to tell me what it entails._

He was growing more frustrated with the task as the days dragged on, but once he was back at Hogwarts things should be easier. Then he would at least be in the same location as her, or at least the location they 'thought' she was. Maybe the steps that followed were what his mother had meant when she said he would need protection. He idly played with the charm around his neck. This was shaping up to be a very interesting year at all.

* * *

**A/N**: This is a little longer than I intended, but I'm just anxious to get them to Hogwarts where the real story happens. I guess you could say that was a two part prologue. I just needed to set the foundation for the things to come. Reviews are a beautiful thing, and constructive criticism is always welcome. Thanks for reading :)


	3. Chapter 3 - The Act of Pretending

**Disclaimer: **Obviously I do not own the Harry Potter Universe or any of the Characters, just manipulating them for our enjoyment.

Chapter 3 – The Act of Pretending

_(Sunday September 1, 1996)_

Over the past five days, Hermione, Ron and Harry had spent at least three hours a day practicing dueling. She had to admit they weren't as rusty as she had feared. Well, that wasn't exactly true. The first day had been rough; Ron had actually screamed he gave up and left after only an hour. Hermione had hit him with far too many hexes that day for him to handle. But by the third day they were all at the skill level they had been before the break and fell back into a routine.

The daily practice regimen had given Hermione another distraction from her personal problem. She hadn't forgotten of course; truly forgetting was not possible no matter how much she wished for ignorance. At least once back at Hogwarts she would have access to the vast amount of answers the library provided. The prospect of answers both excited and terrified her; she wasn't sure if she could handle more of the truth, but she had to.

Hermione found herself boarding the Hogwarts Express with her friends in the outfit Ginny had picked out for her. It was much too frilly for her taste, but it was all for the sake of a distraction. She had a brown flowing skirt that fell just above her knees, and a turquoise fitted blouse that perfectly accentuated her new found curves, finished off with simple brown sandals. Just as Ginny had predicted, she found most of the males around her staring or at least taking a second glance her way. She couldn't help but blush at the new attention.

"I told you, Mione. Look at them stare," Ginny pointed out while giggling. Hermione blushed deeper; she just wanted to blend in again.

"They better only stare," Ron mumbled angrily.

"Come on, let's just go get our compartment," Harry said leading themselves down the hallway. A short way down he found an empty compartment and he and Ginny made themselves comfortable.

"We will meet you guys after the perfect meeting," Hermione said before she and Ron continued down the hallway to the compartment at the end of the train.

Much to their dismay, the only two other perfects there were Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson. Draco had his back turned to Pansy while she clung to his arm and whispered softly into his ear. It was obvious that Draco didn't care to have her that close to him and when he noticed they had company, he was quick to push her off his arm and stood from his seat. "Well, if it isn't the weasel and his mudblood girlfriend," he sneered with his signature smirk.

Anger quickly reddened Ron's face. "Don't call her that!" he spat back. Hermione just shrugged next to him and didn't even raise her eyes from the ground.

"I'm only stating a fact. We can't let her forget how filthy she is," he drawled on watching for her reaction. Hermione didn't move. Her eyes trained on her feet, amazed at how that word didn't seem to affect her now that there was no truth behind it.

"Yeah, mudbloods like her shouldn't even be allowed to come to Hogwarts," Pansy was quick to agree, latching back on to Draco's arm.

"Well, Hermione is ten times the witch you could ever be," Ron defended her again, reaching down in an attempt to grab her hand. Pansy face filled with fury and she glanced over at Draco with pleading eyes to see if he would defend her.

Hermione kept her hand to herself but looked up at Ron. "Just drop it Ron. They only want to get a reaction out of us." She said softly, no anger evident in her voice.

"Did your brain finally get clogged by the mud to the point that you can't even come up with a comeback anymore?" Draco sneered, not letting his shock from her dismissal show past his mask. In the past five years she had never let a single remark go unpunished; hell, she had even punched him once.

Hermione looked over and met his silver orbs shining with curiosity. Her body was numb, and she simply couldn't care less for what he had to say. She had no intention to dignify him with a response.

Draco was surprised even further when he noticed how dull and empty her brown eyes were. Where was the fire that had always been there?

He was about to open his mouth again, but Professor McGonagall walked in leading the rest of the Prefects with her. They all found seats around the cramped compartment while Professor McGonagall stood waiting to address them. "Thank you all for being on time. This year should be no different than before, and I expect each of you to carry your own weight. Sixth and Seventh years, make sure you help the new Perfects adjust to their responsibilities. Seventh years, as usual, will be in charge of helping the first years find their common rooms after the feast tonight. The rest of you will have patrolling duty tonight. The rest of the patrolling schedules will be split up," without pausing she waved her wand in a simple pattern, and single piece of parchment landed on each lap in the compartment. "These are your schedules. If you have any questions or concerns about them, you are to talk to the Head Boy or Head Girl and they will assist you with any changes that need to be made. Now enjoy the rest of the ride to Hogwarts and let's have another great year." She smiled at her students fondly before stepping back out to the hallway.

"Well, that was short," Ron started while standing. "Let's go back to Harry and Ginny." He held out his hand to help Hermione up.

She stared at his hand, then up at his face. Concern still invaded his eyes, but she couldn't force herself to smile or take his hand to reassure him. Silently, she stood on her own and made her escape from the over-stuffed compartment. Had Ron always been that eager to hold her hand at every chance? Sure everyone had assumed that they would end up together, but she never felt more than a sisterly love towards him.

"That evil git. He doesn't have the right to speak to you like that, you know?" Ron said once they were back with Harry and Ginny. He was sitting by Hermione, who was still numb and staring silently out the window.

"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked.

"_Malfoy_," Ron said disgusted. "The first thing he says is to insult her."

"Did you really expect him not to insult me?" Hermione said softly, watching the landscape fly past the window.

"I guess not, but it still doesn't give him the right to," He replied still angry.

"Mione, don't let him get to you like this," Harry spoke. "He just says it to feel better about himself because he knows you are better than him."

"I'm not letting it get to me. It doesn't matter what he says." She wished they would just shut up about it already. It was confusing enough without them trying to make her feel better. For the past five years, every time Draco had said that word, it had cut through her like a knife, reminding her that she didn't truly belong in this world either. It made her feel like an outcast again, she didn't fit in in the muggle world and she didn't fit in in the wizarding world. Now when he said it, she hadn't felt anything aside from the tug in the back of her mind to correct him.

Harry, Ginny and Ron kept the conversation going without her, making plans for Hogsmead weekends and Quidditch matches. She had tuned them out to get lost in her thoughts as the train finished its route to Hogwarts. The view from the window reminded her of the summer, and her life in general; it had just flown by as she watched. She couldn't grasp a clear image; it was all a blur of memories with mixed emotions. Nothing seemed real anymore; her whole existence had been tainted and ruined by one lie.

* * *

The Great Hall was overcrowded with the students and the giddy chatter swallowed the air. Draco still hadn't shaken the one-sided argument on the train from his mind. It was just so unlike Hermione to let anything go. He had never seen her look so unperturbed by his insults.

"I was thinking we could go find a quiet classroom after the feast. I want to show you how much I have missed you, Draco," Pansy leaned over and whispered his ear seductively.

"We have patrols tonight, Pans," he replied clearly not interested.

"That gives us the perfect excuse to be out after hours," she continued, letting her hand find his thigh under the table.

Draco quickly brushed her hand away. "Apparently I have to blunt with you," he started, turning his steely gaze towards her. "I'm not interested in shagging _you_ tonight," he finished dryly.

"But Draco," she pouted at him. "I didn't see you all summer. I just want to –"

"I said I'm not interested, Pansy," he cut her off. "Obviously ignoring you all summer wasn't enough of a _hint_ for you."

She recoiled. "What do you mean, _a hint_?" she asked tentatively.

"Merlin, you are stupid," he sneered back at her. "The hint that this, us, was a mistake."

"I am not stupid!" she shrieked loudly. "And we are not a mistake."

"Don't make a scene, Pansy," he replied calmly, other students had already started to watch them. "I'm just not interested in being with you anymore."

"You want to break up with me?" She stood shaking with anger. "Fine! But you'll come back to me. You'll realize that this is _your_ mistake! You always do," She yelled the last part with venom lacing her words. Then turned on her heel and exited the Great Hall.

"That went well," Blaise scoffed from the other side of Draco.

"Yeah," Draco replied with a smirk. "At least she'll be off your back now."

"I have a feeling that I won't be so lucky."

Draco shrugged. "Did the best I could."

"You should have shagged her first," Theo said from across the table. "That's all you want from her anyways."

"That would have just fueled her case. I can always find another witch," he said smugly.

"You know, mudblood Granger filled out nicely over the summer," Theo commented amused.

"You know you are disgusting, right?" Draco replied appalled while Blaise chuckled.

"I'm not saying I want to be with her. Just saying she might be worth a shag now," he continued contemplatively. "Then ditch her. Make her feel as worthless as she is."

"The mudblood wouldn't be worth the time," Draco finished. "Maybe a Ravenclaw, they are bound to know a few things in bed." He had decided to turn this conversation to help him with his mission.

"Patil might be worth a try. She does tend to talk too much though, and we both know how you feel about that," Blaise commented. Padma Patil wouldn't fit. She had a twin sister, and as far as Draco knew the girl he was looking for was not a twin. Plus Patil didn't have brown hair.

"She's not appealing at all," Draco sneered, glancing around the Ravenclaw table. His eyes landed on a girl sitting a few seats down from Padma with short brown hair. "What about Turpin? She's always quiet, might be fun to make her scream."

"Lisa Turpin? She's plain and boring, plus her brother is way too over protective. You wouldn't get the chance to try anything," Blaise concluded shaking his head.

"I wasn't aware she had a brother. He must not look like her," Draco drawled on probing for more information.

"Actually, if you saw them together, you would think they are twins," Theo added. "Not sure if he looks more like a girl or if she looks too manly." He dismissed that idea.

"Scratch that. What about Brocklehurst?"

"Even worse," Blaise scoffed. "She looks just like her mum, expect a hundred pounds lighter. It's suspected that she uses a charm to make herself look thin." Well there goes another idea.

"Well, it doesn't matter. Some horny witch will find me on their own," Draco smirked smugly. Obviously this conversation wasn't leading him to any answers. At least he had crossed a few names off the list though.

The food disappeared off the table signaling the end of the feast. They made their way out, Blaise and Theo towards the common room, and Draco to meet the other perfects for patrols. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

_(Monday September 2, 1996)_

The first day of classes went by in a blur; Hermione was on autopilot. She had raised her hand, answered questions in her usual manor, and even managed to take notes without putting in any effort on her part. It had barely passed for a distraction, since her mind had still managed to wander off to her predicament at every chance. She had never been more excited for classes to end for the day, and skipped out on dinner to head to library for much needed answers.

Hermione had found the section she was looking for in a dusty unused area of the library and pulled out five books about pureblood family histories and bloodlines. She was sitting at the table alone pouring of the contents of one of the books, getting discouraged by each page she read. She didn't even have a name, so she wasn't sure what family line she should be looking for. She quickly tossed the book aside and started flipping through the next. Did they even have a pureblood history book with pictures?

She discarded the next three books as well frustrated and picked up the last one she had grabbed. The title was Wizarding Bloodlines, Now and Then and as she opened the book she was relieved to see that it did in fact have pictures of the families discussed. Hermione frantically flipped through page after page searching for the familiar faces of her biological parents; she had memorized them from the one photo she had. Finally on page 218, she stared at the couple.

An unfamiliar feeling crept through her body. She couldn't force herself to tear her eyes away from the couple and read the text on the page. It was anxiety, curiosity, fear, and uncertainty rolled in one. Did she even want to know her family name? What if the truth was more than she could handle?

She pushed her thoughts aside, and began to read the words. Blaizkin, that was her family name.

Hermione Blaizkin.

It didn't sound right in her head.

Why does that name sound familiar? She read on to see that neither over them went to Hogwarts. Maria Blaizkin, her mother, went to Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and Gregory Blaizkin, her father, went to Durmstrang Institute. They later got married in 1976 and there was no mention of them having a child. They lived in -

"Of course I would find you here, Granger," Draco sneered from the other side of the table startling her.

"What do you want, _Malfoy_?" She snapped, closing the book and standing up.

"Oh, you decided to speak now that your weasel of a boyfriend isn't here to defend you," Draco looked down at the book clutched to her chest. _Why does she have that book?_ He wondered.

Hermione moved the book behind her back, noticing his gaze. "What do you want?" she repeated coldly.

"Nothing to do with you, clearly," he started. "I _would, _however, like the book that you are hiding so cleverly behind your back though."

"Too bad," she replied dryly, meeting his cold eyes with her own.

"I'm not asking for permission, _mudblood_," he said louder as he took a step closer. _Their little group must have found out about the missing witch too. She must be trying to find her as well._

"Again, too bad," her voice calm and dry.

"What does a fucking _mudblood_ need with that book, anyways?" He was getting too close now, and Hermione had to take a step back. "Are you fantasizing about how life would be if you weren't so damned filthy?"

There was that tug again in the back of her mind, begging her to correct him.

Instead she just shrugged, turned her back to him and walked away.

Draco was left seething, wondering how the hell the golden trio figured out about his mission.

Back in her dorm room, Hermione pulled the curtains around her bed and read more of the book about her parents. She didn't want to know the truth, but she had to know where she came from; if her family was good or evil. At the bottom of the next page, she read that both Maria and Gregory Blaizkin are confirmed followers of Voldemort.

Realization hit her hard in the pit of her stomach and she dropped the book.

Greg Blaizkin was one of the death eaters sent to Azkaban earlier that year.

_I shouldn't be surprised. This is what I was expecting. _

Her thoughts didn't stop the world from collapsing around her. The gnawing feeling spread from her stomach through her veins and invaded her mind; taking over her thoughts.

This changes everything, even more so than just knowing that she was adopted. Now she wasn't just a pureblood, but one with a family allegiance to Voldemort.

In her panicked state, she grabbed the book and ran down the stairs brushing past Ginny and ignoring her concerned words. She sprinted out the common room and went straight back to the library. She couldn't have the book with her anymore; she didn't want to believe the words she had read. She ran back to the section she had gotten it from. It had been close to an hour since she had left and was surprised to find Draco still sitting at the table she had left him.

She stopped, heaving heavily to catch her breath.

"Did you bring me the book back, Granger?" Draco drawled when he saw her.

She was a wreck, hair splayed out in awkward angels, checks flushed from running, and tears threatening to escape her eyes. She quickly threw the book towards him as hard as she could missing him by a hair. "Take the damned book!" she screamed at him.

He stared at her, not letting his confusion show. She looked broken beyond repair.

"There's no need to be violent." He was surprised that even in her enraged state, her eyes were still dull and empty.

She was shaking, anger coursing through her veins as she continued to stare back him, daring him to push her further.

"I take it you didn't like what you read. Did you realize how pathetic life really is as a filthy little mudblood?" he accepted the challenge.

She laughed, loudly. It was unnatural and menacing, taking him off guard. "Is that the best you can come up with? Mudblood this, mudblood that?" She paused, still rocking with cruel laughter. Her mind begging, pleading her to tell him how very wrong he was. "Well I've got news for you, _Malfoy_. That name doesn't mean shit to me!" She turned on her heel, and walked out of the library leaving him again.

_How dare he call me that! When I can't even correct him._ She seethed as she stalked back to her dorm.

She wanted to tell him that she in fact was not a filthy little mudblood; that she was as much a mudblood as he.

She wasn't angry because of the name anymore; she was angry because he was wrong and she could not correct him.

She was angry at the Grangers for lying to her about everything.

She was angry at the Blaizkins for giving her away and cursing her with this false existence.

She was angry at her friends for not figuring out that something was wrong; for thinking it was Malfoy affecting her like this.

And she was angry at herself for not knowing what to do with this information; for not having a plan.

Hermione stormed through the common room, not even taking the time to see who was there, and made her way back to her dorm room. She pulled the curtains around her bed, and screamed with everything she had into her pillow.

She screamed until her voice was cracked and harsh. She screamed past the point of her body not being able to make a sound anymore. She screamed until after she had no breath left to emit. She screamed until it the only sound was in her mind, and until her anger had finally subdued.

Then the coldness took over her body and soul. The tears fell from her eyes as waterfalls. And she realized that she wasn't an outcast before. Because there had been other muggle-born wizards and witches. There had been other people who had understood her troubles, who were in the same situation as she had been.

Now she was a true outcast. Now she knew what it truly meant to be alone. She couldn't confide in Harry and Ron this time. They would turn on her when they learned her true identity. Or they would coerce her to use her new identity to help their cause. Either way, being betrayed again or being used, she wouldn't be able to call them friends anymore. There was no one to turn to this time. She was alone. Alone and broken.

* * *

**A/N:** It's finally starting to get there! I'm sorry but I have to break Hermione for this to work. I hope that you can forgive me. Also there is going to be much more from Hermione's side than Draco's from this point on. We'll still get a look in his head, but some things are better left to find out later. Reviews are wonderful, they keep me going. Thank you all for reading! :)


	4. Chapter 4 – Alone in Despair

**Disclaimer:** Obviously I do not own the Harry Potter world or the characters, Just manipulating them for our enjoyment!

Chapter 4 – Alone in Despair

_(Friday September 5, 1996)_

The rest of the week had dragged by for Hermione. She was still on autopilot, hardy paying attention to her surroundings. In classes, she only raised her hand once to answer questions before she was lost again in her thoughts. Her notes were messy and broken, missing key points from the lectures. She had distanced herself from everyone, only speaking when necessary to hold up appearances. There was no way she could handle being berated with questions yet. She was still trying to figure exactly how she felt about it all. She had been in denial, been angry, been relieved, been sad, but most of all she had been confused. It left her high-strung and ready to snap at any moment.

Hermione was sitting at a table in her common room working an essay for Charms. At least her situation hadn't affected her ability in doing her homework. The essay flowed from her quill naturally while she drowned in her emotions. The common room was empty since everyone was in the Great Hall for dinner. She had made a habit of skipping out on dinner over the week. She needed the alone time; it was exhausting to keep up the charade.

The portrait swung open and Harry and Ron walked in. "There you are. Where have you been, Mione?" Ron said taking the seat next to her.

"I have homework to do," she replied barely glancing up at them. She continued to write her essay as if she hadn't been interrupted.

"Is that the charms essay?" Ron asked looking over her shoulder to read it.

Hermione just nodded and continued to write. Harry took a seat at the table, a concerned look on his face.

"Something has happened," Harry started from across her. "There have been attacks in France and Germany," his voice soft and thoughtful.

Hermione sighed and looked up at him. She knew what he was trying to get at, but this was not a conversation she wanted to have now.

"That's so far away. The Order will handle it," she said dryly trying to end it before it started.

"It just feels like the Death Eaters are getting… restless," Harry continued.

She heard Ron shuffle around beside her, but kept her attention on Harry. What did he expect? They were underage still, and had two years left in school. There was a reason Dumbledore wouldn't let them join the Order yet.

"The Order will handle it. Hogwarts is safe and we need to focus on finishing school." She could not continue to talk about him. Her real mother was supposedly still with him and she felt torn with her emotions on that particular topic.

"Are you at least going to come to the next practice session?" Harry asked. She had skipped out on that this week too. And no, she did not intend to go to the next one.

"Yeah, I'll try," she lied before going back to her essay. She was appalled to see Ron taking notes off her work. Couldn't he do anything without her? That was it, she couldn't take them anymore.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" she snapped at him quickly pulling the parchment from his view. Her mask shattered, the anger was back redirected at them.

"I wasn't copying it! I was just getting some ideas," Ron snapped back.

"Did you just curse?" Harry asked surprised.

"Yes, I just cursed!" she yelled standing up, her fury contorting her face.

"I just needed some help," Ron tried to justify, his face red.

"You didn't even ask! And you need to start learning how to do things on your own," her breathing ragged and hands shaking.

"Hermione, calm down," Harry said softly.

"I can do plenty on my own! Stop being such a selfish bitch!" Ron yelled back furiously.

"_Selfish bitch_? Just because I won't let you copy my essay?" It was nice to know what he truly thought about her.

"No, you are a selfish bitch because you ditch us every chance you get, you won't even talk to us anymore, and you don't even care that He is planning something!" Ron screamed back.

"Ron now is not the time to -" Harry started but was cut off.

"You think I'm a selfish bitch too, Harry?" Hermione was ending this, now. "I expected more from you. Ron is moronic enough, but not you."

"I am not mor-" Ron tried.

"I don't think-" Harry started simultaneously.

"No! I've had enough with you two. Just, just stop talking to me and leave me the hell alone!" Hermione shouted before grabbing her bag and leaving the common room.

She went to the library to calm down until it was time for patrols. She knew she had to distance herself from them, but she hadn't expected it to be so easy. Harry just had to keep going on and on about Voldemort and his non-existent plans. And Ron just had to push her over the edge by copying her work. Normally she would have been glad to help him, but he hadn't even asked. She couldn't help but think lately that she wasn't going to be around them to help forever and it would be for their best interest if they started to learn how to manage without her.

Hermione took a deep breath, and pulled out her essay to finish before patrols. She didn't want to think about patrols. Ron was supposed to be her partner tonight, but of course that would have to change. And they just had to be paired with Slytherins tonight, which meant she'd be stuck with him. There was no way Pansy or Draco would split up just for their sake.

She finished her essay without a minute to spare, and headed out to the meeting for patrols. She arrived at the classroom to an argument.

"I'm not patrolling with the mudblood!" Pansy shrieked at Ron. So maybe Hermione had thought wrong about being stuck with Ron tonight.

"Pansy, just patrol with the weasel then," Draco sneered in response. He was leaning up against the wall with his arm crossed across his chest.

_Great, I'm going to be stuck with Malfoy now, _Hermione thought_._ She stood by the door waiting patiently for them to finish bickering.

"Don't tell me what to do, Draco," Pansy turned towards Draco. Well apparently they weren't getting along either.

"Parkinson, just suck it up. I don't want to patrol with her any more than you do," Ron said crossing his arms across his chest.

"If you three are done arguing like children, I suggest we get this over with," Hermione spoke calmly, losing her patience.

"Yeah, let's go, Parkinson," Ron seethed and turned to walk away.

Pansy shot her a death glare before turning to follow him out. "Have fun with the mudblood, Draco." She giggled.

"Well don't just stand there, Granger," Draco drawled walking towards the opposite corridor.

She followed, silently. Their footsteps echoed sharply in the hallways. She kept her head down, staring at her feet. Ten minutes went by without another word. Hermione looked over him. Why wasn't he trying to fight with her again?

"Do you like what you see, Granger?" Draco smirked, not even bothering to look over in her direction.

She looked back at her feet, idly flipping the photo in her pockets. That didn't deserve an answer. She just found it odd that he wasn't pestering her.

Another fifteen minutes passed.

"What did you do to the weasel?" Draco asked out of the blue, glancing her way to gauge her reaction.

Hermione just shrugged, and continued to walk in silence. Why would he want to know anyways?

Ten minutes passed again.

"Why are your friends ignoring you, did they finally come to their senses?" Draco asked bluntly. They were on the last corridor of the patrol.

"What friends?" Hermione finally spoke coldly, still looking at her feet. The photo grasped tightly in her hand.

Draco was taken by surprise, not that he would show it; surely she hadn't isolated herself. She was part of the Golden Trio, and they were currently looking for the same witch as he was. Or so he thought.

They reached the end of the patrol route and Hermione kept walking leaving Draco to his thoughts.

* * *

_(Tuesday September 10, 1996)_

Draco was sitting at the Slytherin table for dinner. He had to admit that Hermione had been confusing him lately. He couldn't dwell on it though; he had more important matters to think about. But she had read that book, what other explanation was there? And why had she been so angry by what she had read?

The evening owls flew in, and a parcel fell in front of Draco with a soft thud. He opened it and slowly read the letter.

_Draco,_

_I hope you have been making progress. I have found something that may be useful for your search. I look forward to hear what you have completed._

_Lucius_

Behind the letter was a small photograph of a baby; the missing witch. As he had suspected, she had brown hair and brown eyes. Her hair was curly though, and her eyes, he could have sworn he's seen them. She looked so familiar, but he couldn't quite place her.

"Who's the letter from, mate?" Blaise asked trying to get a glimpse of the photo.

Draco quickly stuffed it in his pocket. "Why are you always so damn nosy?" he scoffed back.

"Just curious is all," he replied, returning to his meal.

"Well, don't be. It's none of your damn business," Draco replied, taking a sip of pumpkin juice. He glanced around the Great Hall, noticing that Hermione wasn't at the Gryffindor table.

"Have you noticed anything off about the Golden Trio lately?" Draco changed the topic, maybe they weren't really after the witch after all.

"Yeah, they've ditched the mudblood. About time too," Blaise answered readily.

"I bet she's vulnerable now. Might be time for me to strike," Theo snickered from across the table.

"Merlin, you're disgusting!" Draco replied.

"Again, it's just for a bit of fun. Then I'll put her in her place," his voice harder, more serious.

"Still, not worth the time," Draco drawled.

"Why do you ask?" Blaise asked. He could always tell when Draco was up to something.

"Just curious is all," he mocked.

"Very funny," Blaise said coldly.

"I thought so," Draco replied smugly.

"You have any luck with the Ravenclaws yet?" Theo asked snidely.

"Is my life really all you two can talk about?" Draco was getting sick of their questions.

"It's really the only thing we can talk about in public," Theo replied darkly.

"Then stop talking," Draco said, returning to his food. His friends really could be quite bothersome. It was worse now because he knew they could tell he was up to something, but he wasn't able to tell them what.

He excused himself and made his way out of the Great Hall for patrols. Maybe he would be able to get some information out of Hermione tonight. He didn't think Ron was going to be patrolling with her again anytime soon after so adamantly preferring him or Pansy to her. It was quite surprising but he wasn't complaining. Seeing the Golden Trio crumble was pleasing. She was considered to be the brains of the group, and they would be helpless without her.

Draco stopped at an empty classroom and let himself in, locking the door behind him. He pulled out the photo his father had sent him and began racking his mind for who it was he was staring at. Those eyes, he couldn't stop staring at those eyes. He knew who she was, he just couldn't place her. It was frustrating him to no end. He spent a few extra minutes memorizing her face, before putting it back away in his pocket and heading to patrols.

* * *

Hermione was walking down the corridors towards the meeting for patrols that night. She was sure she would be stuck with Draco again after last time. At least he didn't seem keen on picking fights with her though.

"What do we have here?" Theo said slyly as her emerged from a dark alcove in front of her.

She stopped at looked up at him. "What do you want, Nott?" she asked calmly.

"That's a good question, mudblood," he stalked closer to her. "I could think of a few things… and who knows? Maybe you'll get pleasure from it too," he said darkly, standing too close for her comfort.

"I assure you that anything you could want from me, would not give me any pleasure," she replied dryly trying to back away from him.

"You can't be too sure about that. I've been told that I have special… talents when it comes to giving girls… _pleasure_," Theo replied huskily, backing her up towards a wall.

"You can't be serious," she replied, and backed in to the wall.

"Oh, but I assure you I am." He looked her over hungrily while he placed his hands on the wall locking her in place.

Hermione was confused; why would he want to have anything to do with a mudblood? "Why would you want to be with a mudblood?" she asked coldly, watching his face.

He laughed menacingly. "I didn't say I wanted to be with you. I just thought with your friends out of the picture, you might need a… distraction."

She began to feel for her wand in her pockets, but he noticed and grabbed her arms to keep her still.

"Don't try to do anything you'll regret. Just relax," he said as he lowered his head down towards her.

_No, this can't be happening._ She turned her head to the side to avoid him.

"This will be easier if you just give in. I can feel your body reacting," he whispered in her ear. He pulled her wrists up over her head and leaned in closer to her.

She turned back and saw her chance. She quickly raised her knee and struck him hard in the groin. He backed away dropping her wrists and doubled over in pain. "You fucking bitch," he ground out.

Hermione didn't hear his comment; as soon as he had let go she ran as quick as she could down the hall towards the classroom. She felt the tears prick her eyes. She felt so violated, there was no telling what he was going to do and she did not want to find out. The tears fell of their own accord by the time she arrived at the classroom, and stood outside a moment to gain her composure.

Hermione entered the classroom finally to find Draco waiting for her alone. At least she didn't have to see Ron again. It had been a rough couple of days ignoring him and Harry. She knew it was for the best to avoid them, but it didn't stop the pain she felt every time she saw them.

"You're late," Draco said irritated from his position on a desk.

She looked down at her feet and shrugged then started to walk down their patrol route casually fingering the photo in her pocket. He followed her down the corridors. They walked in silence for another ten minutes.

"Have you been crying, mudblood?" Draco sneered in the third corridor.

Hermione sniffed and shrugged her shoulders. She refused to cry in front of him.

Ten minutes more passed. Draco couldn't shake his curiosity; she had to know something after reading that book.

"Come off it, already. What's wrong?" Draco stopped and stared coldly at her.

Hermione paused, but didn't meet his gaze. Why would he care? She just shook her head and continued walking down the corridor.

Draco let out a sigh then followed. He had heard a total of four sentences from her all week, even in classes. Five minutes passed.

"Granger, stop," Draco started. He looked her over; she had looked a mess all week as well. She still wouldn't meet his eyes. "What happened?" he tried, forcing his voice to sound concerned. Maybe feigning interest was the best approach.

She looked up finally confused. Is Malfoy trying to be nice? "Nothing," she answered softly.

"Stop pretending. You haven't had a single comeback since we've come back to school," he kept his voice soft, but let the irritation seep through.

Is he seriously the only one noticing something wrong with me? "I'm fine," she replied and starting to walk again.

"Look, mudblood," he continued following her. "You've become more intolerable than before. I didn't even think it was possible."

"Just ignore me then, I think we would both prefer it that way," She spoke coldly, flicking her photo gently.

"What the fuck mudblood?" he yelled and grabbed her shoulders to turn her to face him. "Why did you need that book at the beginning of the year?" Playing nice obviously wasn't working, and it was hard to keep it up anyways.

She stared at his angry face, her mind begging to correct him. And what did any of this have to do with that book? She shook her head.

"Tell me what you know, filthy little mudblood," he spat in her face, tightening his grip on her shoulders.

She snapped, shoved him off her and stared daggers back at his face. "Stop it, just fucking stop calling me that! You have no right to fucking call me that!" She couldn't take him anymore. She was done ignoring him and she had to lash out at someone.

He staggered back, surprised. "I thought you said mudblood didn't mean anything to you anymore." He regained his composure, and stalked back towards her. "Filthy fucking mud-"

"No! Fucking stop," she screamed standing her ground in front of him.

"Why should I? You don't deserve to forget what you are," He replied towing over her.

"Forget what I am? Trust me, that's not possible even without your ever so helpful reminders. But you have no fucking idea what I am!" She glared back at him, refusing to back down. Tell him he's wrong her mind pleaded.

"Sure I do, a filthy fucking mudblood," he sneered darkly.

"No! You are wrong, I am not a fucking mudblood!" she snapped back, then pushed past him and stormed back to her dorm room.

She was furious that he had managed to get under her skin again. She had been doing so well. It was easy to ignore the meaning of the word and his snide filthy blood comments. But the more she heard it, the more she felt the need to correct him. Not that she was proud of what she is now; she just had to tell him he was wrong.

And after her encounter with Theo, she was even more strained. Where did that even come from? He had never paid her any attention before. Everything was just getting more messed up as the days went on. She had a serious lapse in judgment thanks to him.

As she lay in bed, she felt the regret over take her mind. She had just told her worst enemy what she wasn't even able to tell her friends. Maybe he wouldn't realize what she had meant by it, and he would chalk it up to her being delusional.

Who was she kidding? He was second to her in all classes expect potions, where he was ahead of her. He was almost as smart as she was. He would figure out exactly what she meant. And being his usual destructive self, he was bound to find a way to twist it to hurt her even more.

She reached in her pocket to grab the photo, only to realize it was no longer there. _Merlin! I must have dropped it during our fight! Now he's going to know everything!_ She panicked. He was going to know exactly who her parents were and she doubted he would keep her secret. Now what was she supposed to do.

* * *

Draco was stunned by her outburst to say the least. But what had shocked him even more, was the photo that she had dropped before sprinting away. He bent down to pick it up and found the same baby he was looking for, but with her parents.

He wanted to conclude that she had just managed to come across it while searching for her, but he knew that wasn't right. During their fight he had hard time looking away from her eyes whenever she had managed to look up from the ground. Those eyes, the golden brown eyes, lacking their usual fire, were still the same eyes he had memorized before the patrol.

"It's Granger," he mumbled to himself, still staring at the photo she had dropped. That explains everything; why she has been such a wreck since school started, why she hasn't been speaking to anyone, why she hasn't be participating in classes, and why she was so unaffected by being called a mudblood.

He quickly made his way to the owlery to send word to his father.

_Father,_

_It's Hermione Granger. I am sure of it. It also seems that she has just found out herself. Let me know how I should proceed from here._

_Draco_

He wasn't sure how he should proceed, but if they wanted her on their side it was way easier said than done. At least she had already managed to isolate herself from her friends, but she was still going to be too stubborn to switch sides just like that. He would have to get on her good side. It should be easy to overcome five years of hatred, right?

* * *

**A/N: **I know, Theo is a sleazy asshole. But things will get better. Thank you for the reviews, they make me feel all warm and fuzzy! And just so you know, this story is already outlined out completely, so I do have a plan and there is much more to come. Thanks for readings loves! :)


	5. Chapter 5 - Unexpected Results

**Disclaimer:** Obviously I do not own the Harry Potter world or the characters, Just manipulating them for our enjoyment!

Chapter 5 – Unexpected Results

_(Thursday September 12, 1996)_

It was a comfortable cool autumn day, and Hermione was sitting outside by the Lake. It was quickly becoming her favorite place to spend her free time. Normally it would have been the library, but it seemed to have too many other students for it to serve as a hiding place. She was avoiding everyone, Harry, Ron and especially Draco. She didn't even want to think about what new plan Draco had come up with to torment her with this new piece of information she had so readily shared with him the other night. He had spent the last five years doing everything in his power to make her life miserable, so there was really no other option. She would just have to bare it and keep moving.

It was peaceful outside, the grass beneath her was warmed from the sun and the breeze seemed to gently caress the worries from her mind. She could sit there forever and forget about the mess she found herself and just think clearly for a change.

Hermione wondered what life would have been like if she hadn't been given away. It would have been wonderful to have spent the first eleven years of her life in this world. Sure, she would have been raised as a pureblood witch, with the ideals that muggle-borns and half-bloods were beneath her. She would have been prim and proper, a perfect little well-groomed witch. But it would have been so much less confusing growing up where she truly belonged. Would she have still come to love books as much as she did? Surely that wouldn't have changed.

She probably wouldn't have been in Gryffindor; she would have been in Slytherin. Could you imagine her in Slytherin? She would be best friends with Pansy and Daphne. And she would probably date someone like Blaise or... Draco? It definitely wouldn't have been Theo. No matter how she was raised, there was no way she would fall for someone so perverted, egotistical and just plain creepy. But she would have fit in with them though, she would understand them.

Did she want to fit in with them? How backwards would that be?

No. She didn't want to fit in with the likes of Slytherins. She just wanted to fit in being herself. Not that she was sure who she was herself any more.

God, why does life have to be so confusing?

"Hey." The voice was soft coming from behind.

Hermione slowly turned her head to look at Ginny. She hadn't spoken to her since the train ride back to Hogwarts. What did she want?

"Do you mind company?" she asked. Her face was soft, the concern clear in her eyes.

Hermione just shrugged. Ginny hadn't been bothering her. She hadn't done much of anything to be honest.

Ginny took it as an invitation and sat next to her on the grass.

"Look... I can tell something happened," Ginny paused studying Hermione's face. "To you, I mean."

She really had been that obvious. Ginny wasn't the most observant. Hermione stared back out over the lake.

"It's alright. I know you don't want to talk about it. I just... I don't want you to feel alone."

Hermione started, fidgeting with her sleeves.

"I will not ask you any questions. Just know that I am here for you when you do want to talk," Ginny was talking too softly. She was serious.

Hermione was touched. She hadn't felt like she was that close to Ginny. She was practically part of her family and best friend of her 'not boyfriend'. But they didn't really have much else in common and were quite the opposite in personality.

They continued to sit silently by the lake for a while. It wasn't uncomfortable, but actually quite nice to know that there was still someone who cared.

"Thank you," Hermione finally spoke quietly after a while, still staring over the lake.

Ginny smiled. "You're welcome. You know you are practically a sister to me."

Hermione just nodded. It did feel good to have non-intrusive company.

"Harry and Ron worry about you too. They just aren't very good at showing it."

"That's the understatement of the year," Hermione replied dryly.

"I know. I still can't believe Ron called you that and I don't blame you for being upset. They just don't understand. You were fine over the summer, and then when we got to school, you started being distant and closed off. He takes it too personally," Ginny tried to explain.

Hermione shrugged indifferently. They really should take it personally, but Ginny wouldn't understand her reasoning.

"Enough about them," she waved her hand dismissively. "Did you hear about Luna and Neville?"

Hermione shook her head, glad that she dropped the previous topic.

"Well, apparently they've been writing to each other all summer and Neville asked her out once they got back to school," Ginny said animatedly. "They are so cute together, still really shy though."

Hermione forced a smile. She really was happy for them.

"Lavender says it won't last though. I don't know why she bets against them, but she just likes drama doesn't she?"

"That she does," Hermione replied.

Ginny continued to tell Hermione everything that's been going on, keeping her distracted from her thoughts. She avoided talking about Harry and Ron and never brought up Hermione's issues. She really was a good friend, better than Hermione had anticipated. Hermione actually felt close to happy by the time the sun started to set and they made the way back to the common room.

* * *

Draco was sitting on a sofa in the Slytherin common room with Blaise and Theo. He had received a reply from his father this morning that simply said to gain her trust. That was impossible, of course, but he knew he didn't have a choice. He had to try. This was mudblood Granger he was talking about; he had done everything in his power to make her life miserable for the past five years. How do you build trust after that?

"What news have you heard, Nott?" Draco asked coldly. They were alone in the common room, so they had the chance to catch up without being overheard by the wrong people.

"Not much. Father just got back from Germany," Theo replied from the chair to Draco's right.

"Do you have any idea why he was sent to Germany?"

"No, he doesn't tell me about his missions."

"What about you, Blaise?"

"He was sent to France, but I don't know any more than Theo does," Blaise answered, sitting to his left on the couch.

"Well it appears that he is reaching out for more followers," Draco concluded. There wasn't really that much activity from Voldemort lately.

"Of course he's recruiting. We are preparing for war after all," Theo remarked.

"He is taking his sweet time though," Blaise added.

"There's no need to rush at this point. He has to let all the pieces fall in to place," Draco said thoughtfully. He wants to have Hermione before things hit the fan.

"In other news, I had an interesting run in with Granger the other night," Theo said smugly, leaning back in his chair.

"Oh? Do tell," Blaise egged on.

"I may have been too aggressive, but her body definitely reacted positively," he snickered. Draco just listened, not too sure how he should feel about this situation.

"When did this happen?" Draco prodded.

"Um. Tuesday after dinner. She ended up being quite the bitch though, managed to knee me in the groin before I could too far," Theo scowled, remembering the pain from the incident.

"You let a mudblood get the better of you?" Blaise scolded. "And a girl at that."

"Perhaps you should just stay away from her. They may be feuding at the time, but she's still considered the golden girl by most. You wouldn't want to be expelled for attempting sexual assault," Draco tried to reason. This infatuation of Theo's wasn't going to bode well for his plans. He couldn't appear to care about her, which he didn't anyways, but she wasn't going to ever trust him if his friends were out to get her.

"Relax. This only presents more of a challenge and you both know how much I enjoy a good challenge," Theo sat up, amusement clear in his eyes. "I just have to change my tactics a bit. Find some way to lure her in."

"You can't wine and dine a mudblood, that's just despicable," Blaise looked appalled.

"Enough of this degrading talk," Draco said coldly, raising his voice enough for them to get the point. "Theo, think about the consequences." He sat up straight on the couch sending him a reprimanding look. "You two should go to bed now. I need to be alone."

They grudgingly agreed and walked to their dorm room to leave Draco alone.

What the hell was Theo thinking? Even without his current mission to gain Hermione's trust, he would still think seducing and breaking her would be a terrible idea. The backlash from that plan of his would destroy his reputation. Theo obviously wasn't seeing the picture clearly.

Great, now Draco had to come up with a plan to get Theo off her back as well. Things just have to get more complicated.

"Hey th-there, babeee," Pansy stumbled through the common room over to where Draco sat on the couch.

"Pansy," he greeted coldly, catching a whiff of alcohol from her breath as she sat next to him. "You're drunk."

"Not ju-just drunk," she slurred, placing her hand suggestively on his thigh and learning into him. "I'm horny, too."

"Pans, I'm not getting back together with you," he said calmly attempting to remove her hand from his thigh.

"Why?" She moved her hand softly up higher on his lap.

"I told you, I'm not interested. Plus I have no time for a girlfriend right now."

She giggled. "You don't feel uninteres-s-s-ted."

He grabbed her wrist and moved it away from himself. Damn his body for betraying him. He didn't have time for her games. "Involuntary reaction," he assured. "I don't want a relationship, Pansy."

"S-s-screw relationships-s, I just neeeed you," She said moving to straddle him on the couch.

"And let you blame me for taking advantage of you? I don't think so," he drawled trying to remove her from her current position.

"I _want_ you to take advan-antage of me," she squirmed a bit and let her lips find his earlobe.

Draco let out a hiss; damn her for still knowing to get to him. "Pans, you are going to regret this."

She shook her head and continued her journey down his neck, moving her hands down chest. Draco was about to give in to her needs, but was saved by Daphne walking in.

"Pansy!" she shrieked noticing what was happening.

"I tried to tell her no," Draco admitted, finally able to shove the girl off his lap.

"Back off, Daph-phne, I'm _trying_ to fuck my boyfriend," Pansy all but screamed back at the intruder.

"I told you, I'm not your boyfriend. No relationship, Pansy," Draco corrected her.

"You certainly didn't look like you were trying to say no," Daphne stated coolly.

"She's wasted. Just take her to bed," Draco drawled standing up to leave himself.

"You need to stop leading her on like this," Daphne scolded, hands on her hips.

"I told her, I'm not interested in a relationship," he replied glaring at her for her accusations.

"Dray-coo, I looove you," Pansy cooed sprawled out the couch.

"See?" Daphne said smugly.

"She's delusional. I'm going to bed," Draco walked out to his dorm room. Why wouldn't Pansy just get on with her life?

* * *

_(Friday September 13, 1996)_

Hermione slowly walked towards the classroom for patrols, praying that somehow she wasn't still paired with Draco. She hadn't heard any rumors about her secret yet, but that didn't mean that they weren't spreading behind her back. The few times she had seen Draco in the hallways and in class, he hadn't even acknowledged her existence. Those could only be positive signs, she thought.

But the idea of having to spend the next hour or more walking the corridors alone with him was terrifying. There was no way he wasn't going to bring it up and there was no conceivable way to steer him away from the truth. She could only hope that he wasn't so cold not to feel some pity for her situation and leave her be. This was Draco she was thinking about; of course he would ridicule her.

She paused in front of the door, calming her nerves before slowly opening the door. There he stood, leaning up against the fall way with his arms crossed over his chest as usual. If his personality wasn't so cold and ugly, she might have found him attractive. She quickly averted her gaze to her feet as she waited for his insults to begin.

"Granger," he drawled calmly. "It appears that we will be paired for patrols permanently." He didn't move from his spot.

"Why?" she asked quietly, still not looking up.

"Pansy and the weasel used some bullshit about inter house unity to get the pairs split up between houses. So she's with Patil, he's with Macmillan and we're stuck together. Dumbledore adored the idea of course, so there was no talking out of it," he explained.

"I see," she replied softly. She turned towards the corridor to start their patrols. "Let's just get this over with then."

"Wait," Draco called before she could get too far.

She stopped by the door but didn't turn around. "What is it?" she asked dryly.

"I thought you might like to get this back," he pulled out her photo from his robe pocket.

Hermione turned around and quickly walked over to snatch the photo from his hand. Then without saying a word, turned back and returned towards the door.

"You could at least say thank you," he said striding towards the door after her.

She twirled back around. "For what? Prying into my personal life?" she shot back at him, her anger starting to surface. Why wasn't he already ridiculing her?

"If I remember correctly, you shared that information on your own. Then you dropped that picture and I thought I was doing the _right_ thing by returning it to you," he drawled on crossing his arms again.

"Since when do you ever do the right thing? At least without having ulterior motives," she accused.

"Look, you know how I feel about you and your bloody dimwitted friends, but I'm not going to go around and gossip about your personal issues." He stood there calmly.

"Why not? You love to make my life a living hell, and now you have the deadliest ammunition available at your disposal," she retorted, raising her voice slightly.

"Maybe because I can tell you've already made your life enough of a living hell without any help from me." He was beginning to get frustrated by her accusations, but they did have sound ground.

"It would have never stopped you before. What are you up to?"

"I'm not up to anything." He ran a hand through his hair; this wasn't going as planned.

"I seriously doubt that. You are not one to show mercy or sympathy," she glared at him dangerously before turning back towards the door. "Let's just get this over with."

"I won't tell anyone," he repeated as he followed her out the door.

"Good," she replied coldly walking at a casual pace.

"Does anyone else know?" he asked casually.

"Why do you care?" She kept her pace.

"I don't. I'm just curious." He shrugged.

"Well don't be, it's none of your business," she snapped back.

"I know," he ran his hand through his hair again. "Maybe it is just pity, but it can't be easy growing up thinking you're a mudblood and fight-"

"Shut up. I don't want to talk about it," she cut him off.

"Is this why you aren't talk-" he tried again.

"I said I don't want to talk about it," she snapped louder.

"Fine, but it would probably help if you tried to talk about it to someone," he said harsher than he intended to.

"Why the hell do you care, Malfoy?" she glanced over him, thoroughly confused.

"I don't," he replied curtly.

"Then stop talking already." She continued with her pace.

They continued to walk in silence for a while. Hermione's mind wandered over all the possible motives for Draco not using this information to his advantage. He wasn't one to care about anyone aside from himself. Even if he didn't feel like he could continue with the mudblood jokes, he still didn't shy away from humiliating other pure-bloods who didn't share his ideals. And that sure as hell wasn't going to change for her. In his eyes she'd move from mudblood to blood traitor.

There were about half way through their patrol before Hermione decided to speak again, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Why do you really not want to make this harder than it is for me?" she asked softly.

Draco was startled that she had initiated conversation, but that was what he was waiting for. "Because I honestly couldn't begin to imagine how hard it already is for you," he said calmly glancing over at her.

She was staring at her feet again. "Doesn't this just move me from mudblood to blood traitor in your eyes, though?" she asked just as softly.

"Yes," he replied slowly. She was really insecure about this, he concluded.

"But you still aren't ridiculing me like you should," she murmured almost to herself.

"You are in no state for me to take enjoyment in ridiculing you," he explained.

"You feel sorry for me." It wasn't a question.

Draco shrugged his shoulders and kept walking. Even though he would never admit it, a small part of him really did feel sorry for her.

They finished the rest of their patrol in silence. Hermione was more than a little confused by the lack of arguments, but didn't know how to explain them. Maybe Draco was a little more human than she thought.

"Thank you," she said softly, still not glancing in his direction. She didn't wait for a response before walking back to her dorm room for the night.

* * *

_(Saturday September 14, 1996)_

It was another comfortable autumn day and Hermione was in her usual spot by the lake with a book. No matter what was going on, books could always make her happy. They were her true escape. After the unnatural interaction with Draco the previous night, she needed the vacation from her thoughts. She still wasn't sure what to make of him. He half acted like he cared, but there was no way he could actually care.

Her vacation was short lived however, as Pansy and Daphne walked towards her spot.

"Look, Daphne, the mudblood is finally sitting in its place, in the mud," Pansy said with a snicker.

Hermione looked up from her book, and shrugged them off. "Your insults are getting old, Parkinson," she replied dryly.

"You don't have the right to address Pansy like that," Daphne started, sending her a dark glare.

"What are you reading? Fantasizing about a better life where you aren't at the bottom level of society?" Pansy sneered stalking towards Hermione.

"Yes, that's exactly what I am doing," Hermione replied, sarcasm dripping from her words.

"Merlin, mudbloods are so pathetic," Daphne added, standing back to watch Pansy.

"How are you evenings with Draco?" Pansy asked with a snicker.

Hermione merely shrugged.

"Has he made you cry yet?" She was standing directly about her now.

Hermione shook her head and focused her attention back to her book.

"Hey, I'm still talking to you mudblood!" Pansy shrieked and knocked the book from her hands.

Hermione shot up from her spot and pulled her wand from her pocket, preparing to finally show Pansy exactly how she felt about her. Before she had a chance to respond, Draco walked up beside Daphne.

"Are you best mates with Granger now, Pansy?" Draco sneered to get her attention.

"Like I would ever associate with a filthy mudblood like her," she snapped back facing Draco now.

"I'm not so sure. You are quite pathetic and delusional," he scoffed crossing his arms over his chest.

Daphne sent a vehement glare towards Draco.

Hermione watched the change in stance around her and reached down to grab her book from where it was sprawled out on the grass.

"You're the delusional one who doesn't realize what he's throwing away," Pansy replied sauntering over to him.

"You seem to have forgotten the English language. I told you I am not interested. Do I need to spell it out for you? Or do you not remember what 'no' means?" Draco asked coldly.

"You're making a mistake. You've just forgotten what love feels like," Pansy said softly.

Hermione realized no one was paying attention to her anymore. She quietly made her escape from the scene and went back towards her common room.

She was fully prepared to hex the living daylights out of Pansy before he showed up. She had the audacity to ridicule her and damage her book. There was only so much Hermione could handle before she snaps and that string of her patience has gotten quite short lately. Despite her anger, Hermione was still a perfect and had to remember to up hold the image of a proper role model.

Draco had shown up just in time. She couldn't decide if he had done that on purpose of if it was just a convenient coincidence. Normally he would have joined in with Pansy to team up against her, but he and Pansy seemed to have some serious issues themselves. Maybe his anger towards Pansy just over shadowed his disdain for herself. Even though he hadn't been his usual spiteful self during the last patrol, it didn't mean he was done ridiculing her in front of his friends.

Whether or not he realized it though, he had saved her today.

* * *

**A/N:** This took a little longer than planned, but I've still managed an update a week which is what I had planned. And Draco didn't waste anytime telling his Father what he found out because the only thing he cares about right now is completing his mission. We have civility towards each other now, yay! Thanks for the lovely reviews! Let me know how this is going for you guys :)


	6. Chapter 6 - The pieces Fall

**Disclaimer: **Obviously I do not own the Harry Potter Universe or any of the Characters, just manipulating them for our enjoyment.

**A/N:** I am so sorry this took so long to get up. I was in car accident and with the amount of pain killers I was on, nothing I wrote made sense. Then I had to make up everything I missed at work, and deal with insurance companies. Its been rather hectic, but everything is back to normal now. I should be back to updating once a week again. I hope you enjoy this long over due chapter.

Chapter 6 – The Pieces Fall

_(Tuesday September 17, 1996)_

The rest of the weekend passed by uneventful for Hermione. She spent all of her time out of classes in her common room or dorm room. She had no interest in a repeat of the encounter with Pansy by the lake. Hermione still wasn't able to wrap her head around what happened with Draco that day. It hadn't felt like he was defending her, but he still managed to save her.

Something about the situation just felt off. It wasn't like him, but he acting like he actually cared about what was going on. Not that he had admitted it or done anything to publicly associate himself with the matter, but his ignorance of her existence was enough. She could practically feel his eyes on her in class, but he never spat a single insult her direction, at least not directly. He still had to keep up appearances. It still made Hermione feel uneasy.

It was Tuesday again, so she was on her way to meet Draco for their rounds, wondering if she should ask him about the incident with Pansy. Or perhaps she should just keep quiet and leave the talking to him. She did already tell him too much information by opening her mouth and he had been acting weird ever since. But the only way to get the answers she desperately needed was to ask.

She entered the classroom and once again found Draco in his usual position against the far wall. His arms crossed casually against his chest and his white blonde hair hung casually over his forehead. God, why couldn't his appearance match his personality.

"Granger," he drawled when he noticed her, pushing himself off the wall.

"Malfoy," she greeted dryly. She turned back towards the corridor and started their patrol.

"How was your weekend?" he asked casually after finding his place beside her.

"Very funny," she snorted not bothering to slow her pace.

"Then it was good," he replied still in a casual tone.

"What exactly were you trying to pull on Saturday?" she accused curtly, glancing over her shoulder at him.

"I'm not sure I follow." He met her gaze and raised an eyebrow.

"Saturday, by the lake, with Pansy. You should have joined in with her, but… you attacked her. Why?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Ah. Pansy and I aren't exactly on good terms at the moment. It didn't have anything to do with you."

"Oh." She slowed down her pace and stared at her feet. "It just felt… weird."

_It didn't have anything to do with you_, she repeated to herself. It was just about Pansy. Why was he angry with Pansy now?

They walked in silence for a few minutes before Draco decided to speak up again. "Have you talked to anyone about it yet?"

Hermione stopped in her tracks. "No, I don't want to talk about it."

He stopped and faced her in the hallway. "You really should to someone. You are obviously not coping with it very well."

"Why are you acting like you care?" she asked. She looked up and met his gaze. His face was still a perfect mask of indifference, but his stormy eyes were a mass of confusion.

He simply shrugged. "If you're convinced you can't tell anyone else then why not talk to the only person who does know?" he asked smugly.

Hermione couldn't help but snort; he must be joking. "You expect me to talk about my personal issues with _you_?"

"No, I don't expect you to," he shook his head, his golden fringe sweeping his forehead.

"Then why would you say that?" she asked keeping their eyes locked.

"Because you are too damn stubborn to talk to your real friends about it," he eyes flickered but she couldn't make out the emotion behind them.

"They wouldn't understand," she answered quietly, dropping her gaze back to her feet.

"Then why not?" he pushed again taking a step closer to close the gap.

"I don't trust you," she replied slightly louder.

"I know," he ran a hand through his hair frustrated. "It's going to eat away at you if you keep it bottled up."

"Then let it," she snapped and started walking again. She was convinced Draco just wanted to see how much pain this situation caused her and she was determined not to let him get that satisfaction. He has no right to know what goes on in her life.

They rounded the next corner before she spoke again. "What happened between you and Pansy anyways?" she asked quietly, her curiosity getting the best of her.

Draco glanced over at her confused, his brow knit. "I got tired of her and her constant neediness," he replied causally.

"You were with her for two years, and you just now got tired of her?" Hermione retorted, thoroughly confused with the logic.

"I've been tired of her. She just doesn't understand the meaning of no," he shrugged.

"Oh," she fidgeted; she wasn't expecting him to actually talk about this with her. "Why is she so angry then?"

"Because she's delusional."

"I see," she said uncomfortably.

They continued their walk at a slow pace in silence. Hermione was still surprised Draco had actually answered her questions. He wasn't one to concede to interrogation. In fact he had actually been completely civil all night. It made her uncomfortable.

"Can I ask you a question now?" He looked over at her imploringly.

"I guess," she shrugged. He had told her more than she had expected, the least she could was return the favor some.

"Why aren't you talking to the weasel or Scarhead?" he couldn't hide his disgust from his voice at their names.

"Because I don't want to," she shrugged off.

"That's not a reason," he scoffed. "Why don't you want to?"

"It's better this way, I think," she conceded softly.

"Is it because of what you found in that book?" he pushed.

Hermione halted in her tracks. So he did know who her parents were. Did he actually know them or just know about them. Maybe he could tell her more about them. Maybe he actually has some useful information.

No, she was not ready to talk about them. Not at all.

Draco stopped and watched her with amusement. "I'll take that as a yes," he smirked.

She look straight at him, pleading with her eyes. She couldn't handle it if he started to ridicule her now. She never should have let her guard down the little bit she had. Her breathing grew shallow and ragged as she prepared for the inevitable.

"Don't look so scared. I told you already, I'm not going to tell anyone about your situation" he said dropping his smirk. His eyes soften and she could've sworn she saw concern in them.

Was he trying to reassure her? Yes, something was definitely going on with him, she thought.

"Come off it, Granger." He put a hand on her shoulder to calm her.

Hermione shuddered involuntarily at the contact. Her heart pounded against her chest as she looked over at his hand. He touched her, on purpose? She turned her head back to Draco and was caught in his stormy eyes and she was surprised that she could see small flecks of blue through the silver orbs. Maybe he did care; at least he looked like he cared. God, why did he have to look like that?

"Your secret is safe with me," he said softly she could barely hear it over her rushing blood in her ears.

Somehow she managed to nod her head slightly in agreement, still not processing what was going through his head.

It seemed to appease him and he slid his hand down the middle of her back and urged her forward. "Good. Now let's finish our patrol." He turned so he was walking beside her down the corridor, letting his hand linger on her back for a moment longer than necessary.

Hermione wasn't sure what to think. She was shocked into silence. Never in her life had she ever imagined that Draco could show emotions other than disgust and loathing for her. But he just did. Of course she was convinced it was all an act for some elaborate scheme of his, but it felt so sincere.

The rest of the patrol was agony for Hermione. No words were spoken and she was lost in her clouded thoughts. This change was too abrupt to no bring suspicion. She didn't dare open her mouth again, and as soon as they reached the end of their path, she bolted from his presence without a single word.

* * *

_(Thursday September 19, 1996)_

Hermione woke in the morning with a strong feeling of dread. It was her Birthday, but she was not looking forward to the additional amount of attention she was bound to have. She had done a good job at isolating herself so far, but that wasn't going to keep them away from her today.

She reluctantly made her way down the Great Hall for breakfast after a heated debate with her growling stomach. Much to her surprise she was able to eat in peace after taking a seat next to Ginny. She got the customary Happy Birthday wishes from the rest of her house but not more than needed. She relaxed until the morning post arrived, and a post owl dropped an unexpected letter on her near empty plate.

Her heart stopped, stomach dropped. Not ready to read the birthday wishes from her fake parents, she quickly shoved the letter in bag. She would open it later, in the solitude of her dorm. The damage was done though. Her wound re-opened with a vengeance, their betrayal fresh in mind. She forced back the tears, and prayed for strength.

The Great Hall emptied, and Hermione went to her first two classes in a daze. Her mind was clouded in fog, and she was back on auto-pilot. Birthday wishes went by unheard. Questions went unanswered. The quill was left dry, and parchments left blank. Her mind was left empty.

She was on her way back to the Great Hall for lunch when the unthinkable happened. A hand reached out from an empty classroom and pulled her in.

"I've been looking for you," Theo sneered closing the door behind them.

"Didn't you already learn your lesson?" Hermione stepped back.

"I did actually," he replied leaning against the closed door. "I wanted to apologize for my actions last week. You know Slytherins are used to just taking what they want and I let my hormones get the best of me."

Was he serious? He practically sexually assaulted her and now he wanted to apologize for his _hormones_?

"Well, I believe you got what you deserved. Now if you'll excuse me, I would like to get to lunch," she stood her ground and waited for him to move from blocking the door.

He pulled a small box out of his robe pocket and held it out to her. "Happy Birthday," he said softly.

"I'm not accepting that," she scoffed and crossed her arms.

He sighed and opened the box himself, taking a simple gold necklace with a ruby gemstone pendant out and holding it up to her. "Look, we started off on the wrong foot and I'm sorry. But it's your birthday and I wanted to get you something," his dark brown eyes imploring her.

She shook her head. "I don't want it, or anything from you. Now get out of my way."

"Please just take the necklace, I bought it for _you_." He moved closer to her, and she stepped away on instinct.

"No, I don't want it, Nott." She shook her head again.

"You don't have to wear it. I understand that I made a mistake, but I can be patient for you to forgive me."

"Fine!" She grabbed the necklace and put it in her bag.

He smiled, and it made her stomach flop in a very bad way. She felt nauseous under his gaze as he stepped away from the door finally.

"Don't hold your breath, though. I won't be forgiving you," she spat as she walked out of the room and quickly made her break for the Great Hall.

What the hell was he trying to pull? First Malfoy starts acting like he cares about what she's going through, and now Nott was trying to get her to… what? Date him? Shag him? Like she would ever even think about that. And his sudden change in tactics couldn't be a coincidence. Draco must have let something slip. There was no way someone like Nott would want anything to do with a mudblood, so he must know that she isn't a mudblood. Great, so much for keeping this a secret.

Later that afternoon, she was sitting in the common room trying to reread the chapter from Arithmancy class. She couldn't seem to get her brain to focus on the words in front of her. Her anger from Nott still wasn't gone, and she had a bad feeling about the necklace she had taken from him. Perhaps, she should get rid of it.

Harry walked in from the portrait hole, and took a seat across from her. "Hey, 'Mione," he spoke softly pulling his bag around in front of him.

"Hi, Harry. I really do need to study, I have a lot of work I need to do," she began her excuses from solitude.

"For next semester, you mean?" he said, his emerald eyes sparkling. "I just wanted to give you your present. Happy Birthday, Hermione," he pulled out a pack from his bag and held it out to her.

She let the smile play on her face as she reached out and took the present from him. "You didn't have to get me anything, Harry."

He shrugged. "Open it."

She complied, and found a copy of a Muggle book by Jane Austen. "Pride and Prejudice?" She asked stroking the cover of the book. It was her favorite romance novel, but she hadn't had the chance to read it in years.

"You've mentioned it before, and I didn't think you had a copy."

"I didn't. Thank you, Harry," she smiled up at him, bringing the book to her lap over her Arithmancy text.

He smiled, glad with his choice for a present. His smiled faded quickly though before he spoke again. "Hermione, what's been going on? You've completely distanced yourself from us. You don't talk to me or Ron. You don't come to the practices. And I've hardly even seen you around the common room lately. I'm worried about you." He searched her face for answers while he talked.

"I'm fine, Harry. I just really need to focus on school right now. This is an important time for our education and I don't want to slip." Sticking to the study excuse seemed like the best course of action. Everyone knew how important school was to Hermione.

"You still don't have to worry about NEWTS until next year, and you weren't this distance when it was time for OWLS."

"I just need some space right now, Harry," she nearly whispered.

Harry nodded sadly. "Just know I'm here for you."

"I know. Thank you, Harry." She felt as if she should hug him. She never expected her friends to stop caring about her just because she stopped speaking to them, but it still felt nice to hear. She just sat there watching him as he left the room, though.

After she had spent another two hours trying to read the same chapter in her text book, she packed her books back up and made her way to her dorm. It was still early, most students were down at the Great Hall for dinner, but Hermione didn't have an appetite. There was still way too much on her mind; too many questions and not enough answers.

When she got to her bed, she was shocked to find yet another birthday present sitting atop her blankets. There was a small package with a folded piece of parchment on top. She didn't believe any of her dorm mates would have left it for her, but no one else had access to the dorm room. She picked up the parchment and read the short message left.

_Hermione,_

_ I am aware that you know more about the circumstances of your birth than you did the previous year, but know that today is your true Birthday and you should celebrate it. I hope you have been having a lovely Birthday all the same. There is much more to be said about the situation, but I fear that I am not at liberty to share at the time being. However, you may find your present to be of very much use to you in the near future. I do you hope you enjoy it._

There was no signature, and the writing was in an unfamiliar pen ship; neat and elegant. Although she was unsure how she felt about someone else knowing her secret, the message was comforting. Her attention was turned to the package that could be of use to her. She opened the package cautiously, but found only a small book. It looked to be the size of a small novel, but there was no indication on the cover or spine of what book it happened to be. It was bound in black leather, and although it looked to be brand new, she could tell that it was in fact extremely old.

When she opened the front cover, the first thing she noticed was the family crest imprinted on the inside of the front cover. Even though she wasn't familiar with pureblood family crests, this particular one looked extremely familiar. It was sitting at the tip of her tongue. There appeared to be snakes coiled at the top of the crest, the single letter 'M' in the center, and a dragon embracing it from each side. Sanctimonia Vincet Semper was written underneath. Is that the Malfoy family crest? She thought perhaps it was Draco that had left it for her, but how would he have gotten into the room?

Hermione pushed the thoughts of who it was that left it for her to the back of her mind and she opened the pages to find that it was hand written in mostly ancient runes even she didn't recognize. As she flipped through the pages, she occasionally came across short notes in the margins about the passage, but none of it made sense. She would just have to spend time in the library to translate it. It was given to her to be useful in her situation, not just as a gift for her Birthday.

* * *

_(Friday September 20, 1996)_

Walking through the corridors to the usual classroom for patrols, Hermione didn't know whether to be angry at Draco for telling Theo her secret or pleased with him for supplying the mysterious book. There was definitely something more important going on than just finding out who her parents really were. The puzzle was just becoming more and more complex, and it felt like all her work was taking her backwards.

Then there was what happened at the last patrols. It was as if he was trying too hard, concerned for her too much. The one eighty in his personality was making her dizzy, and just added to her confusion of the situation. Maybe the book wasn't left by him; he didn't exactly have a way into her dorm. She should probably keep the information about the book to herself for the time being. Unless he brought up giving it to her, she was just going to assume it was from his family, but not given to her by him. God, he just knew exactly how to unsettle her. She decided to grab hold of her anger, remembering the necklace Theo had forced on her.

Once again, Draco was in the classroom against the wall waiting for her. "Granger."

"Malfoy," she sneered as she followed him out to the corridors.

He raised an eyebrow as he looked over at her. "You are angry?"

"I won't insult my intelligence by stating the obvious."

"Well, perhaps you can tell me why you are angry?" He had come to stop in the hallway searching my face for answers.

"Don't act like you don't know. Although I really didn't ever expect anything more from you," she seethed, stopping to face him in the corridor.

"I cannot think of anything I have done to cause this reaction."

She searched his face, but he appeared to be telling the truth. His brow was knit in confusion, and face calm but curious. "You told Nott about my situation," she said more calmly than before, but still hard enough that it came out as an accusation.

"I have not told anyone about your situation, Granger. Why would you think that I have told Nott?"

"Long story I would rather not get into with you. But I assumed he knew that I wasn't a muggle-born because he apologized to me. I didn't think he normally treated muggle-borns civilly," she explained as vaguely as she could. She still hadn't come to her own conclusions about the necklace, so thought that was better left out.

"I am aware of what he has tried. Don't pay any mind to his actions. He's just looking for a shag, and for some reason he finds it acceptable to shag mudbloods. I know it's disgusting, but he has perverse mind," he answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I see," she replied, but she wasn't completely sure if she believed what he had said. There were too many reasons to think the worse of him. She shook it off, and began walking their route again as he followed.

"How was your birthday?" he asked after a few minutes of silence.

She was surprised he even knew it had been birthday and she took a moment before she was able to respond. "It was fine, I suppose."

"Get anything interesting?" he asked with a hint of amusement.

Was he referring to the book left in her dorm? "Not in particular, just some books."

They continued in awkward silence. How was that he was so content to have normal civil conversations with her now. She knew she was still seen as a blood traitor to him, so they couldn't possibly be friends. Maybe he and Theo were in on something together. Both of their families were connected to Voldemort as well. This couldn't be a good sign.

"How have you been holding up, Granger?" he asked softly still looking ahead down the hall.

"I'm fine, Malfoy," her voice cold.

"I don't believe you. More people are going to notice something is wrong if you can't figure out to pull yourself together. I still feel like you should talk to someone about your situation. Just talking can make you feel better."

"I don't want to talk about it, like I have said countless times before. I can handle it myself, so leave it alone," she said letting the anger slip back into place.

The silence came again as they neared the end of the patrol route. Maybe she could get her patrol partner switched to a different house; she was getting tired of having to put up with Draco twice a week by herself. They rounded the last corner, and Hermione started to make her exit to her common room.

"Granger, you should really reconsider talking to me about this," he started to cause her to turn back to him. "I know you crave information, and I'm certain you would like the amount that I have to offer should you decide to talk. Until next time." And with that he turned back towards the stairs and made his way down to the dungeons.

She was already aware that he had a good amount of information that she might find useful, but the thought of having to talk to him about what she was going through deterred her from seeking it. She had a book to translate for information now, anyways. With her mind made up, she returned to her dorm room for the night. She would spend the weekend in the library translating.

* * *

**A/N:** No Draco point of view this chapter, but like I said, he parts will be further apart from here on out. I tried to correct it, but I feel like this chapter is somewhat broken in flow, half of it was written before the accident, and it was not easy to pick it right back up after being away from it for so long. Next chapter should be up Monday or Tuesday. Thanks to those who haven't forgotten about me :)


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